The Departed
by KayDeeBlu
Summary: *Movie Verse 07 AU* - A bittersweet emotional tale about Bluestreak and the intricate, complicated relationship he forms with a human named Kate.
1. Prologue: Past and Present

**Important: Please Read**

_**I know there's a lot of hardcore Transformer fans out there. The following story is a mixture of my own interpretation coupled with certain elements from G1 and the live action movie as well. **_

_**With that being said, please know there are several changes I've made to accommodate the story being told, most notably, the new alt mode that I have given Bluestreak. While it may upset some, I have diligently tried to capture the characters as we originally remember them all the while keeping everything up to date with the present. I hope all of you will enjoy what I have written. I am looking forward to reading all of your reviews.**_

_**Now, to quote Rattrap, "Are you gonna talk or are you gonna rock?"**_

**Plot Summary:**

**Bluestreak forms an intricate, complicated relationship with a human named Kate that lets the both of them see for as different as they may appear on the outside, love and tragedy knows no species limit. **

**Prologue**

_Breathtaking. _That's what she had called it. And as Bluestreak stood looking out to the horizon before him, the canyons below dotting the landscape in complete perfection, he saw what she had meant. For as much as he loved Cybertron, he had to admit, even his beloved home planet couldn't compete with the sight before him now.

Yellows and reds radiated through the sky, their glorious colors filling every angle of the earth from afar, stretching outward to what seemed like no end.

Inhaling softly, Bluestreak let the earth's natural gases pass through his intake systems, his memory circuits flooded with images of the first time she had brought him here.

But this time, standing motionless, watching the earth's heating core set in the vast distance, it all seemed so different…and empty.

For once, no words came to him, not a single syllable. _It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair._ And for a brief nanoclick, Bluestreak felt his emotional circuits bring on a pang of hushed anger that rippled through him…for letting himself forget about the past…for giving so much, when once again, so much was taken…for letting himself walk down the path that only seemed to lead in one direction.

And it _hurt_. Badly.

Oh by the hand of Primus, did it hurt.

_How do humans deal with it? Hurting? _Bluestreak thought. _Their bodies are so fragile…how do they do it? How can they put themselves through feeling so much and not injure their core processors?_

He stared at the tiny metal container his digits held. It had been four months. He had been putting it off but Jazz had finally convinced him. After all, it _needed_ to be done.

Turning his head to the sky, Bluestreak wondered. _Was she with the human equivalent of the matrix? Was she looking down on him? Was she at peace?_

There were so many human rituals he didn't understand, so many things his logics just couldn't comprehend why they did the things they did. But the ritual he was about to do, for some odd reason, held no ambiguities, no contradictions. Just purpose and meaning.

Carefully, Bluestreak opened the container. And as he shook the contents out, he felt the wind pick up, a warm carefree breeze that encompassed him, even through his thick metal exterior. And suddenly the quiet pang of anger and hurt that had surfaced was suddenly gone.

As his optics watched the ashes float into the wind, Bluestreak realized what had so long evaded him, what had kept his demons floating inside for so long…

_Letting go._

Somehow, it had always been easier to keep everything inside, hiding, even though it always lingered…just waiting for its chance to be set free.

And as her ashes floated so freely, scattered to the wind, Bluestreak knew the time had come for the departed to start on her way home.


	2. Spot on Smooth

**Chapter One**

Bouncing happily down the corridors of the Autobot Headquarters, an upbeat humming coming from his vocal processor, Bluestreak caught sight of a near by chrome plated metal door on his right. He just couldn't resist. _He had to._

Seeing his reflection staring back at him, the gunner's lip components spread into a smile. _Spot on smooth._

He knew coming back to earth would bring about changes but nothing had prepared him when he saw the new forms Optimus and the others had taken. Bluestreak was simply astounded and was ten times more so with the form _he himself_ had taken.

Gone was the dull coloring of his old silver paint job and the slim body of the Datsun he once possessed. No, those were the _old days_. It was a new era now and as the gunner gave himself a look over once more, the new reconfiguration was fully enthralling.

Everything was enhanced. Internal diagnostics and drive systems worked three times faster sometimes making Bluestreak feel as if his CPU was going to explode right inside him. Optimus kept reassuring he would get used to it, but he wasn't too sure on that one.

_And then there was his alt form_. _Oh the matrix! Was it something else!_

When Bluestreak had first transformed into it, everyone seemed impressed, even Ironhide.

"Kid, you've got somethin' there," he told the young mech, nodding in approval. "Just don't be lettin' it scramble your reasoning circuits."

Vibrant royal blue covered Bluestreak's legs, arms, and body. Everything curved just right and came together perfectly. It felt so sleek and refined. And when he had scanned himself and loaded the info onto the main frame computer located within the command center, Bluestreak found his alt mode had a name: Dodge Viper. A little sharp perhaps, but something he could live with.

"You know, if you're not careful Blue, you're gonna end up like the twins," chuckled Bumblebee as he walked up next to the gunner, interrupting the young Autobot's admiration of himself.

Bluestreak chuckled back. "Yeah…Sunny would probably blow a gasket from seeing this fab paint job. I wonder when Sideswipe and him are going to be here. I can't imagine what they'll look like. Optimus keeps telling me I'll get use to the new form but you know Sunny and Sideswipe probably won't have any problems. Things have been pretty quiet here. I don't know if they'll still wanna come…seeing how there hasn't been much action."

Bumblebee grinned knowingly. "If there's a slight chance for them to slag some Decepticons…they'll be here."

Bluestreak nodded in agreement as they progressed down the corridor to be briefed on the day's happenings.

It still surprised him he had been the only one to come back to earth so quickly due to mostly everyone else trying to set up the Cybertronian Peace Council. And who knew how long that whole process would take. Politics was never a fast moving thing.

Bluestreak himself hadn't really come back because of the Decepticons, not really at least. Hearing the faint _clink, clink_ of his metal footsteps echo around him, he thought back to his arrival a few months back.

"We're all very glad you are here Bluestreak. Welcome," Optimus greeted him warmly.

"Is it true Optimus? About Jazz? Prowl…Wheeljack…they're all saying…and we got the transmission…" Bluestreak stammered, his voice trailing off.

Optimus heaved a heavy, burdened sigh that said the battle weary Autobot leader had been more than affected by it all.

"Jazz fought valiantly. He gave his life for the good of this world. His spark will be joined with the matrix so that his bravery will never be forgotten," Optimus replied.

"Well…that may be later than sooner," Ratchet piped up, quickly reading the disbelief painted on the younger blue Autobot.

"What do you mean?" Optimus asked then.

"I didn't want to say anything until later…when I was more sure…but from the numerous scans I've done on Jazz's internal processors, the readings show that all fluids are still trying to be routed throughout his systems," Ratchet replied. "If I can find a way to replicate the connections…it might work."

It was that small flicker of hope Bluestreak and everyone else needed. For two earth months straight, hardly anyone saw Ratchet, although the occasional exasperated "Slag!" could be heard from the med bay every now and then. He had made it his number one priority he was going to be successful and nothing was going to keep him from achieving that goal. Through repeated trial and error, and hundreds of intricate repair sessions, Ratchet had managed to replicate the connections within Jazz' s body structure to bring him back online, although unable to transform completely into his alt mode. But as Ratchet and everyone else saw it, it _was_ a small price to pay. The hardest part had been won.

And as Bumblebee and Bluestreak headed into the command center, Bluestreak couldn't help but to feel elated at seeing Jazz sitting comfortably in a chair next to the main frame computer, joking with everyone like nothing had ever happened.

"Hey Jazz," Bluestreak said to him. "How's it going today?"

"Well hey yerself, there Boy Blue!" Jazz replied, upbeat as ever. "Aside from a few kinks in my upper hinges, everything else seems to be A-okay!"

Overhearing Jazz's comment, Ratchet walked over and quickly scanned the area Jazz was talking about. "Guess I'll have to try and recalibrate."

"Go on now, Ratchet…don't worry bout' it. Do what ya have to first," Jazz replied, waving a hand at him.

Noticing the mapping grid Optimus had pulled up on the main scanning system, Bluestreak stood back somewhat as the Autobot leader and Ironhide proceeded to converse about the results it was showing.

For being a former human military base, Bluestreak thought it was serving as the Autobot base of operations quite well. Outside, the base was heavily guarded by the humans and their wide assortment of artillery, but inside, only a few humans could be seen, most choosing to let the galactic robots work on their own. It wasn't the Ark by far, but still substantial given the meshing of human and Autobot technology together.

"What do you think, Optimus?" Ironhide asked finally.

"I don't know…it's pretty faint," Optimus replied.

"Computer," Optimus commanded. "Zoom in on coordinates Alpha 2 and 7."

Bringing the scan to a closer view, Bluestreak saw what had them concerned. In the far corner of the screen, a tiny green blinking light flickered on and off.

"Magnify," Optimus commanded.

Enlarging the slight blinking dot to a huge dot, Bluestreak felt his systems tense up throughout his frame.

"For not being Teletran 1 and being part human technology, the system's pretty sensitive," Jazz piped up.

The silver second in command leaned to the side a little as Ratchet continued patiently fiddling with a homemade metal grappler he had attached to Jazz's upper hinges to tighten them.

"Agreed," Optimus replied and then turned around. "Bluestreak…Bumblebee,"

"Yes Optimus?" The two smaller Autobots replied in unison.

"Scout the area and report back in two nanocycles. If there's any Decepticon activity going on out there, do not engage them. It could be their independent, Thundercracker."

Independent, Decepticon, it was all the same as far as Bluestreak was concerned. _They could not be trusted. And his guard could not be compromised for one lone Decepticon who had decided he wanted to be on his own_. _Decepticon he was and Decepticon he remained. Plain and simple._

"Maybe we'll get lucky and it'll just be Thundercracker circling out there, huh Blue?" Bumblebee said cheerfully.

"I don't trust him," Bluestreak responded as they rounded a corner to head out. "He still bears the Decepticon insignia. If he's so independent, then why have a branding that labels you otherwise?"

"Maybe he finally got tired of Screamer always getting his circuits pumped up…or maybe he couldn't find a strong enough solvent to scrub it off," Bumblebee offered.

Bluestreak gave a slight chuckle to the remark, but Bumblebee sensed the young gunner's apprehension through it, suddenly remembering something Hound had said awhile back.

"That boy's got some demons running loose through him and sometimes I think they take hold of him and won't let him go," were Hound's words.

Time could only do so much. And with time lies the inevitable burden of memories - memories Bumblebee and the rest knew Bluestreak still harbored of witnessing his home city destroyed entirely to Decepticon forces and being the only survivor.

Pushing the button to open the entry doors to their base, Bumblebee placed a reassuring hand on the young mech's shoulder.

The massive steel doors opened to reveal another bright sunny earth day. Quickly, Bluestreak ran a diagnostic of the environment.

"_No precipitation detected. Oxygen levels full. Planet's heating core stable_."

In other words, a perfect day.

"C'mon, Blue. Let's get moving," Bumblebee said.

Effortlessly, the yellow Autobot transformed into the Camaro he had been reconfigured as, the massive amounts of torque revving through his engines. Following suit, Bluestreak did the same, leaving a dust cloud behind as he sped out to do his job.


	3. The Lake

**Chapter Two**

Kate turned the engine off to her Honda. She sat for a second, listening to the peaceful silence around her except for the gentle panting of her yellow Lab Maggie in the backseat.

Instinctively, as if knowing where they were, the animal crept forward in between the seats and put her head down on the console, waiting until her owner would get on with it and open the door.

Putting her hands to her belly, Kate thought of the life she had been carrying. She could still hear the doctor's words to her, words that echoed through her dreams, haunting her through every waking minute.

_The umbilical cord...it had wrapped around your baby's throat. _

_Your baby._

_Time of death 2:36 p.m._

Tears welled up in her eyes as Kate thought about the husband who wasn't there with her, when she had delivered their eight and a half month baby dead. The husband who had been cheating on her for well over a year with a client who's case he had been defending. The man she had loved with all her inner being and soul. At 28 years old, she had lost more than some could ever know all within a six month time frame.

Nudging her hand gently, Maggie crept closer, her big expressive eyes watching her owner intently.

Kate wiped her face and smiled at the seventy pound dog next to her.

"Alight, girl…I know…you wanna go for a swim."

Stepping out of the car that was parked in a little turn off area, Kate grabbed the leash and looked out to the wooded area in front of her. It was at least a good two miles to the lake and Kate knew Maggie was more than up for it. It had been more than three weeks since Kate had brought her out here and with the warm weather they had been having recently, she knew the dog would thoroughly enjoy getting wet.

Making sure she had Maggie's retrieving toy with her, Kate set out on the little dirt trail to the lake.

* * *

"Well?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing? Nothing as in 'nothing, nothing' or nothing as in 'somewhat nothing'?" Bluestreak questioned Bumblebee again through their radio com.

To cover more ground, they had split up, driving close along the borders of what the computer grid back at the base had shown.

"Nothing at all, Blue," came Bumblebee's reply. "Area's clean as the newest interfaces back on Cybertron."

"You ready to head back?" Bumblebee asked gleefully.

"In a few nanoclicks or so…" Bluestreak replied, feeling relieved at not having to go metal to metal with any Decepticons this afternoon.

"I think I'm gonna stretch out my drive train a little. I've just been twitchin' to see what this new form can do. It said on the internet that this is one of the more capable sports cars. I don't know what they mean by that, but I think I like the sound of it!" Bluestreak exclaimed.

"Alright," Bumblebee replied. "Be careful. If you run into a jam, you know where to call."

Accelerating, Bluestreak took off down the road, determined he was going to have one day where there would be no worry about Decepticons, surprise attacks, or anything else war related.

The open landscape around him quickly turned into a wooded area as the road twisted and turned, the trees becoming a blur to his optics.

Bluestreak had often heard the term "alien" applied when the humans spoke of them. That was alright he concluded because the humans were alien to him as well. Everything was strange. Everything was so delicate, including the environment. Everything needed balance in order to survive. The sun needed to be aligned just right, the axis of the earth itself needed to be tipped just right, and the gravitational pull needed to be just so.

But as he zoomed in and around the turns in the road, Bluestreak secretly admitted to himself the undaunted beauty the planet gave off.

_I wonder if Thundercracker ever sees it that way when he's in flight, _Bluestreak wondered to himself then. _He's always so grouchy…probably from not being able to decide if he likes being a Decepticon or just imposing as one…maybe I'll have ask him one day. _

Suddenly, Bluestreak noticed a sign on the side of the road. 35 m.p.h. And before he had time to do any kind of breaking, the road had turned into a sharp curve that even his state of the art diagnostics could not avoid.

Swerving out of control, he hurriedly transformed, hoping to land on his feet, but instead, was thrown onto his back from the 80 m.p.h. he had been going, making the earth below him rumble and shudder from his weight.

Taking his digits, Bluestreak patted himself down, feeling for any obvious injuries, his internal diagnostics running a quick scan of his components.

"_Weaponry destabilized. Shoulder cannon malfunction. Attempting to process."_

"Slag!" Bluestreak muttered.

Getting to his feet finally, he saw the road was empty, thank the matrix. From his calculations, Bluestreak discovered he was about 30 clicks due south of the Autobot base. And as he was about to transform to head back there, his auditory sensors picked up something faint.

Looking toward the woods, Bluestreak's optics focused but registered no other life forms, organic or Cybertronian.

_That's odd. Must be another glitch from the accident._

Still picking up the sound which he swore sounded like water, Bluestreak headed toward it, his curiosity getting the best of him, temporarily forgetting about his cannons being offline.

* * *

"What the…" Kate said out loud as the ground vibrated beneath her.

Quickly, she turned her attention to Maggie, who was swimming furiously out to catch the oblong shaped retrieving toy, driven by her genetic drive, oblivious to anything else going on.

Keeping a watchful glance on the dog from the corner of her eye, Kate started to walk down the sandy shore some, looking around to see if maybe there was someone around who had possibly felt the ground quake as well. But then she remembered. There was some military base about 30 miles south. She was willing to bet anything it was an after shock of them testing something.

Turning around, Kate called out to Maggie, who had just finally gotten to shore, green retrieving roll in mouth, tail wagging.

"Give Maggie," Kate told her, trying to take the toy from her mouth.

Obediently, the dog did as she was told and excitedly watched as her beloved toy was being thrown back into the cool, refreshing water.

Kate laughed as she watched Maggie emerge from the water again, wet as a drowned rat. With her back to the where the trees were, Kate went to grab the toy again that Maggie had uncharacteristically dropped at her feet, barking as she did so.

"What girl? You wanna go back in?" Kate asked, picking up the toy.

Maggie backed up, barking loudly, ignoring the toy altogether.

"Okay Mags…what is it?" Kate asked.

Maggie backed up more, her paws kicking up excess sand, and when Kate turned around to see what had the dog in an uproar, half expecting to see some little squirrel running around, Kate stood, frozen, the toy dropping from her hands. Backing up slowly, her brown eyes huge with a mixture of fear and awe, Kate pulled Maggie close to her, her legs forgetting how to walk.

The sight in front of her was indescribable, something right out of a science fiction movie. The being that stood in front of her was nothing of the human sort, not even close, but rather a _robotic machine_ at least 16 feet tall easily. Kate didn't move a muscle as she saw it seemed to be studying her as much as she was studying him.

_Is this for real? _Kate asked herself, her mind finally clear of all sad thoughts from before. _Am I really seeing this? _

Barking, Maggie pushed past Kate and headed toward the robot, stopping at his massive feet that were planted in the sand, her nose working overtime to check out the strange alien creature.

"MAGGIE!!!" Kate screamed as she saw flashes in her mind of her dog being torn to bits of what the machine could do.

The alien being did nothing though, patiently letting the dog sniff away until finally, Maggie sat down in front of him, tail wagging like mad. Kate watched as the blue machine's optics focused on her directly and then over to Maggie.

"Please don't hurt her…she didn't mean it…please don't…please…" Kate whimpered, her body trembling.

Stopping in mid sentence, Kate watched as the brightly colored blue robot bent down and outstretched one of his massive fingers to touch the yellow dog lightly on her back. Maggie responded by licking the tip of his finger.

Kate looked up at him reassuringly. "She likes you."

The robotic machine stood back up.

"It likes the water?" It finally spoke in perfect English.

Kate's eyes widened even more.

"Yeah…she does."

"That oblong shaped object…you just throw it? And the creature gets it?"

"Yes."

"Could I see?"

"Sure."

Picking up the toy, Kate threw it in. Having decided the alien robot was not enough to keep her attention any longer, Maggie trotted into the water.

Glancing to her side at the massive being next to her, Kate fidgeted nervously, not knowing what to make of everything that had just transpired.

"Do you have a name?" She asked.

The machine nodded. "Yes. It's Bluestreak."

"Bluestreak, huh?" Kate repeated looking over his blue coloring. "That's a pretty cool name. I'm Kate. And this is my dog, Maggie."

Processing the two names, Bluestreak quickly ran a scan that showed up on his optics.

_Subject 2551: Kate. Organic life form. Five foot five and a half. 125lbs._

_Subject 2552: Maggie. Organic life form. Two foot one inches tall. 71.1lbs._

Taking the toy from Maggie when she came back, Kate walked over to Bluestreak and put her hand up, smiling.

"Do you wanna try? Maggie loves it. She doesn't care who throws it as long as it gets thrown," Kate told him.

Bluestreak took the tiny toy from her and proceeded to toss it out, but ended up throwing it way out farther down the lake, forgetting his strength.

Kate laughed as she watched Maggie start to head into the water but then quickly gave up. "Wow…I don't think Maggie'll go that far!"

"I'm sorry…I…I didn't realize it would travel so far out…you're not upset it's gone are you? If you are, I can probably have Ratchet or Ironhide make you a new one. It probably wouldn't be that hard to replicate. Most earthen resources aren't too difficult to mimic…if you know what you're doing. I mostly watch though because I've never been any good at creating things," Bluestreak blurted out, starting to get comfortable with the human, enjoying their little exchange.

"Whoa!" Kate exclaimed. "That's a lot to take in!"

Kate watched as Bluestreak's lip components came together in what she swore looked like a grin of sorts.

A pause then.

"So…can I…ask you a few things?" she said hesitantly.

"Sure."

"Where…are you from?"

"You mean my home?"

"Yes."

"A planet called Cybertron."

"Way past our solar system?"

"Yes, way, way past to be exact."

"What are you called?"

"Well to humans, we are called aliens but among our own we are called Autobots. We transform into different vehicle modes."

"Vehicle modes?" Kate blinked. "Like what?"

"Here, I'll show you," Bluestreak replied, excited to show someone his new form.

And without another word, he transformed into the blue sports car, the sun glistening off his paint job right down to the chrome rims. Reading the huge grin on the human female's face, Bluestreak's logic circuits told him she was more than impressed by his alt mode.

Kate whistled then, looking the Dodge Viper over, in total shock of how it could've passed off like any other regular man made car that rolled off the assembly line.

"Do you know how many people would love to own a car like this?" Kate exclaimed. "I wanted one when it first came out…until I saw the price and then went into shock from having my chest feel like a bullet went through it!"

Bluestreak went back into robot mode and looked down at Kate, pondering the meaning of what she had just said.

"You were shot at?" Bluestreak asked her, concerned.

Kate laughed then, her eyes twinkling. "No, no…what I meant was that the price of the car was outrageous…it's an exaggerated form of speech."

"Blue, buddy, ya still online?" Jazz's voice suddenly said through Bluestreak's radio com.

"Yep, I'm here," Bluestreak replied.

"You okay?" Jazz asked. "Bumblebee said you wanted to take a lil' joyride…been tryin' to radio ya now for a bit…didn't know if maybe ya came cross' some Cons' tailin' ya."

"Yep. I'm fine. A little banged up from a little accident I had…speeding down the road…but I'm fine. I'll be there in a few nanocycles," Bluestreak responded.

"It's been really enjoyable talking with you, Kate. I know I've been probably been gone long enough so I should probably head back," Bluestreak said promptly.

Watching him head back toward the main road, Kate suddenly had a thought come to her.

"Hey…I come out here almost every Saturday afternoon…you know…if you get bored…from doing your Autobot stuff…if you ever want to come back out here…to well, you know…watch Maggie go swimming again," Kate called out to Bluestreak.

Turning around, Bluestreak nodded. "Bye Kate."

Maggie barked.

Bluestreak chuckled then. "And Maggie."

And before Kate could say another word, the huge blue Autobot was on his way out, leaving her there, the smell of the forest and the lake fresh through the air.


	4. Dog Toys

**Chapter Three**

"Blue, what the slaggin pit are those?"

Bluestreak beamed proudly back at Ironhide. "They're dog toys."

Taking one of the tiny items out of the box it had been delivered in, Bluestreak handed it over to the weapons specialist who continued to inspect it further, turning it over in his gigantic hands, letting his internal diagnostics do a quick energy signature scan to make sure nothing weird was hiding inside. One could never be too sure these days.

Reading the black lettering off the side of the toy, Ironhide glanced blankly over to Bluestreak.

"_Air Dog_?"

Bluestreak shrugged. "They were the cheapest. It said buy two get one free. They're supposed to float the best…at least that's what the description said. I didn't know which one to get, so I just picked out all three different shapes it came in," Bluestreak explained, pointing to the matching ball and square sitting in the box.

Having completed the various communication reports Optimus wanted, Jazz walked slowly over to the table where his two comrades stood, a knowing smile on him.

Ever since Bluestreak had gone out on that one scouting report a week ago, his vocal processor had chirped on and on about the human female named Kate he had met and her dog Maggie that liked to get into the water to retrieve a flotation device.

"What do you think, Jazz?" Bluestreak inquired. "Think they're okay?"

"I still don't understand why you would intentionally go into water to swim with a human's pet," Ironhide commented, cutting off any reply Jazz was going to say.

"No, Hide. _I_ didn't go into the water," Bluestreak clarified.

Taking the toy Ironhide had inspected, Bluestreak made a throwing motion with it. "You throw it into the water and the dog goes and gets it and brings it back."

Jazz nudged Ironhide in the side. "Makes ya wish some Cons' were that trainable, huh?"

Nodding, the big black Autobot crossed his arms. "Ain't that the truth!"

"So, Blue, when are you going to give them to Kate?" Jazz asked.

Checking his chrono, Bluestreak hurriedly grabbed the three toys, nearly dropping the little round one from it slipping through his huge fingers. Remembering what Kate had told him about her going to the lake every Saturday afternoon, the shiny blue Autobot got ready to leave.

"I'll be back guys. Kate said she would be at the lake and I don't want to miss her," Bluestreak said quickly, heading down the corridor.

"Have fun!" Jazz laughed.

Speeding past the guard shack that sat next to the entrance of the base, Bluestreak took off for the location to where Kate and Maggie would be.

* * *

Reaching the lake, Bluestreak was a little dismayed at not seeing Kate there. He had been looking forward to it all week partly because it was something new to do but mostly because it took his thoughts away from any possible fighting or worse yet, the outcomes of those fights to which he didn't have the strength to entertain.

Having read his sensors that said the area was clear of any Decepticon energy signatures, Bluestreak squatted down in the sand, his fingers tracing idle paths in the soft substance. _Maybe she forgot. It has been a week. She probably had better things to do. _

And after waiting around for what seemed like forever, Bluestreak finally decided Kate had definitely made better plans. Sighing to himself, he started to head back out when he saw her, walking out from the trees on the little path that had been cleared.

Seeing the huge Autobot, Kate's face lit up. She had thought about their encounter all week, having had trouble concentrating on her paperwork she did at the office where she worked. She had wondered if she would ever see him again. Having ultimately decided against telling anyone about it all, Kate thought it would be better if she didn't for fear of having the wrong type of person find out and then create a huge fiasco.

"Hi Bluestreak!" Kate said to him, obviously happy to see him there. "I was thinking about you!"

"I didn't think you would were going to come. I sat here waiting…the sand is really soft…it goes through your hands quick. There's really nothing like that back on Cybertron," Bluestreak said.

Remembering what he had brought for her, he got them out and set the toys down in the sand.

"I thought Maggie might like these. I hope she does. I found them on this website called PetWarehouse dot com. Have you heard of it? You humans have a neat system set up with the internet! They must have all these toys being stored in a huge warehouse because they had a lot of different things on their site. I couldn't decide which one to get, so I got all three."

Kate was speechless. She picked up the toys and stood, silent.

Bluestreak wondered if maybe he had done something wrong. Shifting his weight from foot to foot, he nervously looked on as Kate said nothing.

Finally, after a few seconds, Kate said, her tone very soft, "This is one of the nicest things anyone has done for me in a long time. Thank you, Bluestreak."

"You can me Blue…if you like…I figured it was the least I could do since I threw the other one out into oblivion!" Bluestreak responded.

Kate laughed then and to test one out, threw it into the water. Wasting no time, Kate and the young Autobot watched as Maggie tore off, heading into the water to claim her prize.

* * *

"Decepticons?" Kate asked drawing a blank.

Bluestreak nodded. He was sitting in the sand, Kate a little ways away from him. They watched as Maggie went to go sniff something interesting near the shoreline, wanting to take a rest from her dog diving.

"They're dangerous?"

"More than that. They're all about conquering. Ruling. At whatever the cost. No matter who they kill."

"They're here? On earth?"

"Yes…a few of them are."

"And your friends are here too?"

"Yes. Optimus Prime is our leader, our commander. He believes that freedom is the right for all sentient beings."

Kate nodded, liking how this Optimus Prime sounded. "Totally understandable and well said."

Bluestreak continued. "Jazz is our second in command, although Prowl sometimes is but he's not here yet…I think he'll be here soon, but I'm not sure. Then there's Ironhide. He's our weapons specialist…a little rough around the edges, but you know…battle can make you like that. Ratchet is the medic and a really good one! The things he does…there's no one else like him, that's for sure. And then there's Bumblebee. He's our scout. He goes out and patrols. You would like him."

Pointing outward, Bluestreak said, "Our base is about 30 miles south of here."

Kate knew exactly the place he was talking about. "The former Harrison Air Force base. I know where that is. There's always been rumors going around they were hiding some sort of alien technology."

With all those news reports and rumors, she really wished she had listened more closely to them after all.

Kate put her fingers to her lips, thinking. "And the Decepticons?"

"Well, when their leader Megatron was finally disposed of back on Cybertron, most of the other Decepticons surrendered, but his second in command named Starscream took over. He brought the few remaining Decepticons who wouldn't budge, along with one who says he's an independent…not totally aligned with the Decepticon cause but not aligned with us either, to earth to try and conquer. "

Kate didn't understand something. "That doesn't make sense."

"What?" Bluestreak asked.

"If some of the Decepticons weren't in total agreement with the domination you're talking about, then why wouldn't they stay on Cybertron instead of coming to some strange planet?" Kate said.

Bluestreak shrugged. He had wondered the _same_ thing many times.

"It could be their pursuits are so ingrained, that even though they may have their doubts, they can't help but to somehow still feel they are involved. I don't know," Bluestreak concluded honestly.

Kate pulled her knees up to her chest, the warm August air on her skin. She looked up at the sky and saw a vast endlessness, a gateway most humans had no idea even existed. She watched as a few birds hovered above, riding the wind with glee, letting it take them to wherever.

"It must be really difficult for you, Blue," Kate said suddenly, still gazing up at the sky. "Being here…on earth…away from your home."

Bluestreak sat very still. It was still with him. _All of it. The destruction. The carnag…knowing all he could do was watch. _Pushing the disturbing memory from him, Bluestreak smiled in Kate's direction.

"It's not all bad…not when I've met someone so nice," Bluestreak said shyly.

Kate blushed some, putting her head down, letting her brunette hair fall around her face.

"Well, for an out-of-towner, you're pretty awesome yourself!" Kate exclaimed.

Getting up, she dusted the sand from her as Maggie made her way over to the both of them, retrieving roll in mouth, ready for round two.

"You know Blue…these ones float the best," Kate said and then tossed it in the water as Bluestreak laughed remembering how he told Ironhide the same.


	5. Car Ride

**Chapter 4**

Kate held the paper in her hands, her eyes reading its contents but not really comprehending what the words really meant.

It had been about a month since she had met the blue Autobot named Bluestreak but not even her budding friendship with the alien from afar could jar Kate's thoughts from what she held in hands.

_It's final. It's all done. David and I are no more_, Kate said to herself, her body numb from head to toe.

She was a free woman now, no longer legally married. But the elation that should've been there had eluded her when she opened the business sized envelope addressed from the county court system.

When once upon a time laid feelings of the strongest bond ever felt for another human being, was now replaced by unwavering raw _hurt and anger_. The very sight of her ex husband David disgusted Kate to no end. She was glad he was out of her life.

Sitting on the back deck to her house, Kate glanced over at Maggie who lay sleeping peacefully on the wooden boards, her paws twitching every now and then from whatever dream she was having. And it left Kate more than a little jealous.

_Would there ever be a time when she could be so peaceful as well? When she didn't wake every morning feeling as if her world had been ripped away?_

Above her, the night sky was permeated with bright stars, their gases burning bright. Kate was angry and she wanted to stay angry, even as her tears found their way to her eyes, slowly rolling down her cheeks, reminding her of how much she felt so alone.

* * *

"Do you want me to make you power down or are you going to hold still?" Ratchet asked Bluestreak impatiently.

The young gunner was sitting on the stainless steel table in the med bay, trying his best not to squirm for the medic, but he couldn't help it. Every time Ratchet went to pull the metal shrapnel out of his back, it sent a surging pain throughout Bluestreak's whole processor that made him want to jump ten human feet into the air. What should've taken a few nanoclicks was taking _thirty_ nanoclicks and counting.

_Slaggin Con's!_ Bluestreak muttered to himself silently. _Figures that fraggin' Skywarp and Barricade would've ambushed us! I knew these few past peaceful weeks could only last so long._

As if reading right into Bluesteak's logic circuits, Ratchet gave off a slight airy laugh, trying to make light of the precarious situation Ironhide, Bluestreak, and himself had found themselves in not even a few hours before.

"Judging from the two huge gaping holes you pounded onto Warp', I'd say he's probably a lot worse for wear than you are, Blue."

"Yeah…too bad my cannon attack on him left _both_ of us damaged," Bluestreak muttered back.

"They retreated pretty quickly now didn't they?" Ratchet replied.

"Not before a good charred and mangled piece of Decepticon trash ended up lodged in my hydraulic compressors!" the gunner exclaimed.

Putting a hand on Bluestreak's back to steady him, Ratchet gave another quick yank and this time the young mech felt the intrusion to his body give and slide out.

"There! Was that so bad?" Ratchet asked, shooting an amused glance at Bluestreak who was rubbing the area that had been injured.

"Souvenir or scrap heap?" the medic asked then.

Bluestreak cocked his head to the side, thinking.

"Scap heap. I can always get more of Warp some other time!" he replied.

Ratchet smirked knowingly. "I'm sure you'll soon get another chance at that."

Puffing his chest plate out, Bluestreak put his shoulders back, standing tall.

"Warp's no match for this!" He said proudly.

Ratchet laughed a little.

"Alright, Sunstreaker."

He was glad to see the young gunner a little more relaxed. Granted, there were still days Bluestreak seemed uneasy when setting out on a mission assigned to him, something Ratchet and the others knew Optimus was well aware of. But still, no one could deny the kid possessed a heap of courage.

Hearing the door to the medbay slide open, Bluestreak's optics watched as one of the humans who worked at the base came walking in, a male who stood around six foot tall with refracting lenses to help his optics focus better and short cut light colored hair Bluestreak thought most closely resembled the color of yellow.

He was one of the regulars at the base and most of the Autobots had taken up a friendly repertoire with him, except Ironhide who more or less would give an occasional nod in his direction unless he absolutely had to speak with him.

Besides being one of the human's higher up on the chain of command, as his authority seemed to highly dictate who was allowed on the base and who wasn't, Bluestreak also saw he frequently helped Ratchet with Jazz's on going repair sessions asking questions here and there and even getting in the procedure hands on.

"Captain…what brings you by the med bay today?" Ratchet asked.

"Just seeing how everyone fared from the ambush," the man replied.

Ratchet shrugged unenthusiastically. "Wasn't much of a fight."

"Decepticon forces weren't up for it today, huh?" the man grinned.

Looking at the time piece on his wrist, the Captain turned on his heels to walk out.

"I've gotta head out. I've got some briefings for the Pentagon to take care of. Let me know when you're going to work on Jazz again and I'll swing by, okay?" he said, proceeding to walk out as quick has he had entered.

"Hey, how is everything going with Jazz? You think he'll be able to fully transform soon? I know he's been saying how he wants to get out and get back into the mode of things. I know I would be going crazy from having to sit around all the time," Bluestreak asked suddenly.

Throwing the left over Decepticon piece of metal into the trash, Ratchet turned back around to Bluestreak.

"Hard to say. Those replications I managed to do are still settling. His internal structures are still adjusting…transforming is just too much for it to handle right now," was Ratchet's matter of fact reply.

"None of us could believe it….when we heard. I mean…it was…really unbelievable," Bluestreak said softly, his optics narrowing some from the memory of getting the news Jazz had been killed.

Quietly, Ratchet patted Bluestreak's shoulder. "It's alright, Blue. Jazz is just fine…it's just gonna take a little tweaking, that's all."

Suddenly an authoritative voice boomed over the intercom system.

"All Autobots report to the command center."

Wondering what it was Optimus wanted, Bluestreak and Ratchet headed out dutifully.

* * *

Sitting at her dinning room table, the wooden ceiling fan over head spinning a cool breeze, her quarter end reports from work sprawled out in front, Kate tried keeping her mind on her calculations. It was nearly eight in the evening but she figured the faster she plugged through it, the faster she would be done.

It had been more than a week since the finalization of her divorce and Kate knew it was affecting her life in every aspect. She hated bringing work home but she had no choice as the finance budget deadline was soon drawing near and despite everything she had been going through, Kate knew she had to get her mind back on track.

But not even her furious calculating could take Kate's thoughts off of when she had been driving home and the thunderous booms she had heard in the distance that sounded almost like a thunderstorm without the rain.

And then it occurred to her. _Of course_.

Locking up her house, Kate jumped in her car, heading toward the direction of the former Harrison Air Force Base that sat on the edge of town.

* * *

"I agree with Prime. I think we should do it. It can't hurt," Bumblebee agreed.

All six of the Autobot crew were standing around the huge round table centered in the middle of their command center, hashing out their opinions involving a certain independent Decepticon named Thundercracker.

"And that's why you're a scout, Bee. You don't make allies with Decepticons," Ironhide spat.

"Aw, come on Hide! It just may work. We should at least try it. I'm with Prime on this one," Jazz said.

"It's risky, Optimus…but if you think it can help…" Ratchet cautioned, offering no more.

The Autobot leader crossed his arms and then shot a meaningful glance at Bluestreak who had remained quiet.

"Bluestreak?"

Bluestreak felt the weight of his friends stares on him.

Wanting to be honest, the gunner finally replied solemnly, "He's still a Decepticon, Optimus."

"Each of your opinions has been noted," Optimus began. "But his independent status may be a strategic advantage for our part."

"Computer, magnify coordinates Apha 345 and Beta 27," Optimus said.

"For the last month, the system has noted Decepticon energy signatures in this area. I'm willing to bet Starscream is plotting something, that's why it's been so quiet lately until today. Bringing Thundercracker in to question him may shed some light on what's going on there, if indeed there is anything," Optimus finished.

"I can work on setting the long range frequency to one he might pick up," Jazz offered.

"No," Optimus said. "The other Decepticons might pick it up, we can't take that chance. We're going to have to send feelers out to him personally."

"I'm up for it!" Bumblebee volunteered.

Optimus nodded and then turned to Ironhide's direction.

"Oh for the sake of Primus!" Ironhide exclaimed. "Fine, just don't expect me to be all chummy and sharing energon with him."

Bluestreak listened with half an auditory circuit as his optics focused on something much more important on the monitoring screen showing the outside perimeter of the base. Recognizing the human standing at the front gate, Bluestreak promptly turned on his feet, a happy exuberance settling through him.

* * *

"Ma'am, I am NOT going to ask you again. Please vacate the premise at once or I will remove you by force!"

"Please…if you could just radio someone inside."

Kate held her eye on the wicked looking assault rifle the guard at the gate had greeted her with. And from the no holds barred stare him and the two other army fatigued clothed men held on their faces, Kate was willing to bet they were more than willing to shoot first and ask questions later.

Kate held her hands up, trying to show she wasn't some crazy human off the street who had drank too much of the Kool Aid wanting the aliens to take her home.

"Look, I'm not here to cause any harm…honest…if you could radio someone inside...his name is Bluestreak…"

"Ma'am…" the guard said more forcefully.

Rifles pointed. Fingers on trigger. Eyes unflinching.

"DO NOT MAKE US HAVE TO USE DEADLY FORCE!"

Not in the mood for wanting to spend the night detained in some military prison or as the current situation stood, have every one of her limbs blown to kingdom come, Kate sighed then, giving up to walk back to her car. _Why did I think this was going to work? Who the hell pulls up in front of a military base guarding extra terrestrials and just walks in?_

Half ready to close the door and start the engine, Kate stopped as she saw a dust cloud being kicked up as a speeding blue Dodge Viper headed to the gates.

And as Bluestreak transformed out of his alt mode, landing perfectly on his feet, Kate couldn't help but to think how graceful and majestic he looked doing it.

Ignoring the three guards who didn't dare open their mouths to protest, the Autobot opened the gate and walked over to Kate.

She worriedly looked up at him. "I heard all this noise a few hours ago that sounded like thunder….and I kept thinking about it…and I was just wonderin'…if you were alright," her words coming out fast and hurried.

"Yeah…we ran into a little Decepticon interference earlier…but it was alright. It could've been worse but it wasn't," Bluestreak replied and then added shyly, "You came here…because you were concerned…about me?"

"You're my friend. Of course I'd be concerned!" was Kate's simple reply.

Transforming back into his alt mode, Bluestreak opened the driver's side door.

"Wanna go for a ride?" he asked.

Kate's face lit up as she saw the envious stares enumerating from the guards around her. Giggling a little to herself for feeling like a little kid in a candy store, Kate slid into the driver's seat as the door closed tightly. Running her hands lightly over the dash and the gear shift that sat in between the seats, Kate couldn't get over how she was not only friends with a being from out of this universe literally, but sitting in a car some humans would cut off their left arm for.

"_Holy shit, I think I'm gonna be wet_," Kate whispered to herself.

"What?" Bluestreak asked.

Kate clamped her mouth shut, embarrassed. "Nothing. I was just admiring your interior."

"Hey Blue?" Kate said then as a thought came to her.

"Yeah?"

"Mind if I drive? There's someplace I'd like to take you…if you're up for it."

"Okay…sure. I need a rest anyways!"

* * *

Kate was a little surprised to see the moderate flow of traffic on the highway as she sped down the entrance ramp. Seeing how it was so late in the evening, she could've sworn it would've slowed down a lot more.

"Alright, Blue," Kate announced. "You ready to show everyone how it's done?"

"You're doing the driving!" Bluestreak answered.

Laughing, Kate merged with the flow of the oncoming traffic, accelerating a little. Making sure it was clear, she moved into the farthest left hand lane and shifted into overdrive. The car responded beautifully, the engine purring like it knew what it was all about.

And as she passed several cars up, coasting down the freeway, Kate glanced down at the speedometer. 92 m.p.h. Funny how it didn't feel like she was going that fast but as Kate finally headed off the major interstate, she felt lucky a state trooper hadn't stopped her. Any other day and they would've been swarming like flies on horseshit.

Finally, after a few more turns here and there, Kate saw the small dirt parking area off to the side of the road she had been looking for.

Stepping out, Kate walked to where the silver guard rail was in front of her. Bluestreak transformed and stood at her side, a few feet apart. Below were rocky canyons of all sizes, the earthen silence filling their spaces.

But that was small when compared to what he saw out on the horizon.

"Breathtaking, isn't it?" Kate said, her eyes transfixed on the sunset before them.

"Wow," Bluestreak marveled.

Of all the time from being on earth before, taking time to enjoy the planet's treasures was something Bluestreak never did. He just didn't think about it. That was Hound's thing. He was the earth lover. Bluestreak had always been too wrapped up in war to see past anything else.

"I always said if I died…I wanted to have my ashes spread out here," Kate told the blue Autobot softly. "It's like when you look out here…everything else around you kind of fades out…and you can forget about things."

Bluestreak put his hand to his lip components, thinking.

"You mean when you go offline?"

"Something like that…yeah," Kate replied.

"Do humans have a Matrix they go to? I've always wondered what happened when humans come to the end of their spark. It's what every Autobot wants when their sparks go offline…to be joined with the Matrix."

"Have you ever heard of a being named God?" Kate asked.

Bluestreak shook his head no as the name didn't sound too familiar and it was in that moment he found himself wishing he had Hound with him to help understand earth culture more.

"Humans believe God rules the heavens, the sky above," Kate started. "That every human has a soul and that when we die, our souls are taken to heaven to be reunited with the ones we have lost and loved from before."

"And that we'll be with them forever," Kate finished.

_Your baby. Time of death 2:36p.m._

Kate dropped her head some about what truths really lay in what she had just said.

Bluestreak studied her face then. Her words seemed to be laced with an under lying sadness, a sadness he had so many times kept company with when alone or riding into battle not knowing if he or any of his friends would emerge unscathed.

"The Matrix is similar. When our sparks leave our bodies, they float to the Matrix and we are with the ones who have fallen before us. Our leader, Optimus Prime, always says how it's such an honor to be joined with the Matrix, to have our sparks always burn bright," Bluestreak said.

"Do you believe that?" Kate asked him.

"Yes, I do."

Softly, before he knew what had fallen from his vocal processors, Bluestreak's words came tumbling out. Maybe it was because of how deep it sat or maybe it was because of the vulnerability written on Kate at that moment that left him inhibited…he didn't know.

"Losing a comrade…it's not…it's not easy. The Decepticons…they just…take…and destroy. And the Matrix…is always there to guide us home when we fall."

Bluestreak stopped then.

_How could he even begin to explain it to a human?_

Kate turned her head in the blue Autobot's direction. _Guarded._ That's what he was. She knew that defense mechanism all too well and it showed through defiantly on the massive being standing next to her.

"Do you?" Bluestreak asked Kate suddenly.

"Do I what? Do I believe in God?"

Bluestreak nodded.

Silence.

"There was a time when I would've said yes very quickly and not have thought another way about it," Kate finally replied.

"But now?" She shrugged. "I can only say I know what life brings…nothing else," was her reply.

"I see," Bluestreak nodded.

One didn't need to be human to read past inflictions still haunting them.

Turning back to the horizon, Kate and the young Autobot gunner stood together, quiet, the glow from the sunset dappling the sky with pinks and reds, signaling the end to another earth day.


	6. The Thundercracker Dilema Pt 1

**Chapter Five**

They had him surrounded. They weren't taking any chances. _No way._

When the humans had caught sight of the fighter jet coming in nose first, everyone was put on red alert. And within minutes, all firepower was concentrated on the being who transformed from the sky, landing with an angry _thud_.

With red optics glowing suspiciously, the Decepticon glanced around wearily, highly agitated.

Optimus Prime put his hands up.

"It is alright, Captain," The Autobot leader bellowed. "We've requested his presence here. They can lower their weapons."

The human military leader who routinely gave Ratchet a hand in the med bay acknowledged the order and made a waving motion with his finger.

"You heard him! Move out and clear the way!"

Wasting no time with the order from their superior officer, the other humans started scattering as the guest of honor stood in front of Optimus with Jazz and Ironhide next to him looking on.

"Is that how you lead Prime? By having weak fleshlings defend for you?!" The grey Decepticon Seeker growled out, his hands balled into angry fists.

"And what a pleasure it is to see you to, TC," Jazz said.

Having shed his former bulkier blue armor of the F-15 Eagle he had once been, Thundercracker's reconfiguration of what the humans called an F-16 Fighting Falcon had made his frame into a more compacted, agile killing machine. Something Jazz had no doubt the Decepticon, despite calling himself an Independent, was very capable of being.

"You're still online? Amazing. Autobots who are indestructible…no matter how much you slag their afts. Now I've seen _everything._ I should've known Screamer couldn't get it right," Thundercracker sneered viciously at the smaller second in command.

Unfazed at the verbal lashing, Jazz grabbed his gun with such a smooth, swift movement that Thundercracker instinctively took the slightest step backward. Holding the Decepticon's heated gaze with a subdued intensity, Jazz stood coolly. "I can gladly _return_ the favor, Seeker."

Not wanting to feel left out from the arms party taking place, Ironhide drew out his two arm mounted plasma cannons, pointing them unflinchingly at the Decepticon.

"Keep flapping your vocal processor and I'll make it so your independent status turns to _no_ status," Ironhide seethed.

"Stand down Autobots!" Optimus commanded.

All three stood facing each other for another brief moment before Jazz finally subspaced his gun.

"Ironhide?"

Huffing a snide comment underneath, Ironhide listened to their Commander and subspaced his weapons as well, crossing his arms with a nasty snarl on him.

"Is this what you sent feelers out to me for?" Thundercracker spat. "To try and intimidate me?"

"No, Thundercracker," Optimus replied. "We've respected your status as an independent. But I called you here to ask if you might consider helping on a matter."

"Help and independent. Look them up Prime. _One has nothing to do with the other,_" Thundercracker snapped back.

"I know what they mean. And sometimes they _do _go hand in hand," Optimus retorted.

"When it benefits the Autobots," Thundercracker snapped.

Sighing then, Optimus looked over to Jazz and Ironhide.

"You both can go. I want to talk to TC alone," Optimus told them.

Knowing their leader was more than capable of handling one snide grouchy Decepticon, Jazz and Ironhide retreated into the base, Ironhide muttering something about Seekers who had an identity problem.

"Thundercracker, I know we've had our share of troubles in the past. But you're the one who has defined himself now," Optimus said.

"The benefit is for _everyone_, Autobots, Decepticons, and every being on this planet," Optimus continued. "You've chosen to try and remain neutral. But in doing so, you also have to accept there may come a time when you may not be able to do so fully."

Finishing up, Optimus said pointedly, "With Starscream at the helm, you _know _your neutrality can only last for so long. I understand your desire to stay that way, but as long as he is in command, you and I both know that will never be."

As much as it twisted his circuits to admit it, Thundercracker had always concealed a begrudging respect for the Autobot Commander. Which in turn, was something that the Seeker firmly believed Megatron, the former Decepticon leader (not to mention, the _rightful_ one in Thundercracker's opinion) in his own twisted way, held as well.

"So, what is it that you want?" Thundercracker asked, his tone cold.

"Starcream has been…"

"_UGH!"_ Thundercracker let out, disgusted. "I should've known this little ploy had something to do with that slag pile!"

"Thundercracker…"

"No, Prime! Whatever it is…NO!"

"Just hear me out for a minute!" Optimus shot back. "There has been a lot of activity in a few of our grid areas. Starscream and his crew have been pretty quiet for the past few weeks until a few days ago."

Thundercracker's vocal processor smirked.

"And you want me to find out what he's got going on, right?"

"The choice is up to you," Optimus replied.

"Screamer's about lost his reasoning circuits…not that he ever really had any in the first fraggin' place…but he's no drone. There's no way he'll let me in on whatever he's up to without knowing there's some underlying glitch to it," Thundercracker said back.

Optimus gave Thundercracker a hard stare. "If your logic circuits change their mode…let me know. You know where to find me," the Autobot leader said.

Seeing their dead end conversation over, the temperamental Decepticon Seeker transformed and took off, his afterburners shaking the ground.

* * *

Shaking his head, knowing they had basically gotten nowhere, Optimus turned and headed back into the base.

"I promise…you'll love it Blue!" Kate said excitedly.

Bluestreak had just pulled into Kate's driveway from taking her and Maggie to the lake. They day had started off rather dreary and Kate was sure it was going to pour. But by mid afternoon, all the clouds disappeared leaving nothing but clear skies.

"Are you sure you're okay with Maggie riding in here? She sheds," Kate asked him questioningly when she had first gotten in before they left.

"Hey, Maggie has to ride in style too!" Bluestreak chuckled back.

Opening the doors, Bluestreak let Kate and Maggie out. And as he saw the little stray yellow hairs left over from the animal, Bluestreak's neural circuits kept playing Sunstreaker's disdainful voice in his head telling him how _he_ would've never let that creature near his paint job, let alone inside.

Staying in his alt form, Bluestreak figured the last thing he wanted to deal with was any type of mass hysteria generated by any humans in the little neighborhood from seeing a 16 foot robot standing in the driveway. From being on earth before, Bluestreak had quickly come to realize that while some like Kate were fine and could even be considered friends, others were highly volatile and had to be approached with extreme caution.

"I don't know, Kate," Bluestreak said weakly.

"It sounds kind of strange. Are you sure it's normal for humans to do that to their cars? I mean I know you know humans but…but…I don't know. None of the other Bots I know ever had that done, or at least I can't remember…maybe Hound did. He never minded the water. Ratchet would probably blow a fuse if I intentionally…"

"Blue?"

"Yeah?"

"Sshh."

Grabbing the hose from the side of her house, Kate walked back over to Bluestreak and squeezed the nozzle. The water came out in a steady stream as Kate sprayed it all over, on the doors, the hood, and the back end as Maggie tried diligently to chase the stream.

"Maggie, stop it!" Kate called out.

Disgruntled at not being able to carry out her devious plan to make sure the hose behaved itself, Maggie sniffed out a piece of grass in the front yard instead, turning in circles a few times and then finally laying down, the exhaustion from the play date at the lake catching up to her.

Feeling the soft water logged object that had white bubbles coming from it, brush onto his exterior, the lemon scent rising as a pleasant aroma to his olfactory sensors, Bluestreak found the water ritual to actually be on the pleasant side.

Gently, Kate wiped the soapy filled sponge down the sides of the sports car.

"You know, Blue…I kinda lied," Kate said then, not caring if any of her neighbors saw her talking to a car.

"About what?"

"Well one time, a few years back, I was driving in this really bad storm and I came to a huge water puddle in the road. I thought I could go through it but it was a lot deeper than I thought and some of the water got in through the door on the floor…it ruined the engine entirely. It locked up and I had to have the _entire _engine replaced," Kate explained, her face dead serious, as she finished with her sponge, throwing it back into the bucket.

"WHAT?"

Rinsing off the soap, Kate burst into fits of laughter.

"Gotcha!"

"I hope you know humans injure very easily. _Very, very easily_. I've seen it. It's not appealing to the optics," Bluestreak spat back.

Kate grinned, her brown eyes smiling.

"_Yap, yap, yap," _Kate replied, her fingers imitating a mouth moving.

"So tell me Blue…_can _you walk that walk as well as you talk the talk?"

"Even better! I can _walk, talk, and shoot straight_ all at the same time!" Bluestreak replied proudly.

"Show off!" Kate laughed.

And as Kate started to take the cloth she had retrieved from her garage to wipe the excess water off, Bluestreak could feel all of his internal circuitry relaxing, something he hadn't done in a long time.

Suddenly, Maggie got up from the grass she had been napping in and barked at the incoming SUV that had stopped to park in front of the house. Kate's eyes followed to what had grabbed Maggie's attention so quickly.

"Great," Kate grumbled.

"What is it, Kate?" Bluestreak asked worriedly.

"Hold on. Just sit tight and don't say anything, okay?" Kate said to him, her voice low.

Kate ran her hands through her long brunette hair and watched as a man dressed in a tailored black suit exited from a red Jeep Compass, walking up the driveway.

"Well hey Mags! How've you been girl?" he said bending down as the dog happily greeted him, licking his hands with zest.

"What are you doing here David?" Kate finally said, exasperation dripping thick.

David stood up. "I was finishing some work on a case for court tomorrow and was in the area. I just wanted to see how you're doing. I've left a couple messages for you. Did you get them?"

"Yes."

"Been busy I take it?"

"David, what do you want?" Kate spat.

"I just wanted to see you, that's all."

Kate rolled her eyes at him.

"Hey, this is sharp Kate!" David said then, turning to look at the Dodge Viper parked in the driveway. "When did you get this? Did you get a decent deal on it?"

Opening the driver's side door, David started to bend down to get a better peek inside, but the door quickly shut itself, slamming shut. A little stunned, David backed up and turned around to face Kate, a perplexed expression on him.

"You may want to get that looked at. The door hinges may need to be adjusted," He said to her pointing at the door.

"No. It just doesn't like wastes of skin like yourself. Smart car, huh?" Kate hurled back.

David's eyes fell to the ground. And Kate couldn't help but to think how utterly handsome he looked, his suit covering him beautifully, his wavy sandy blond hair on top, the goatee around his chin, and the hazel colored eyes she had swore she could've gotten lost in.

Looking back up at her, David took his hand and tried putting them up to touch Kate's face, but she abruptly backed away from him.

"_Don't touch me._"

David nodded quietly. "Alright. I'll go."

Petting Maggie once again on the head, he headed out, getting into the red Jeep and driving off.

Gathering everything up she had used to give Bluestreak his showering, Kate started to roll up the hose, quiet.

"Kate, are you alright?" Bluestreak asked her gently.

"Yeah…I'm fine," Kate replied, smiling lightly.

And then, grabbing the towel she had left sitting on the driveway, Kate walked back over to the blue Viper, carefully making sure all the water was nice and dried.

* * *

"Are you sure it was Screamer and Warp _both_?" Jazz asked again.

Bluestreak nodded.

"Positive. My sensors were dead locked. I couldn't believe they just flew past me! I really thought they were going to dive down and open fire…I'm glad they didn't…I was hoping they didn't. I don't know if I could've battled them both. I wonder what had them out and about near Kate's? Isn't that the same area the computer has been reading them in? I know they had to of read my energy signature," Bluestreak said.

He had been sure when his sensors had picked up the two Decepticon signatures after leaving Kate's that evening, that his moment of truth of whether or not coming back to earth had been the best decision, had finally arrived. And when the two jets kept flying high above, eventually falling off his sensors, Bluestreak had actually felt a mix of overloaded anxiety and disappointment all in one.

"That sure don't sound like Screamer, Optimus," Bumblebee said pointedly. "Warp…maybe…but not Starscream."

"Hmm…" Optimus pondered. "That _is_ highly unusual. Starscream has never been one to avoid confrontation. I further suspect he's preparing a strategic move of some sort to further the Decepticon cause. Tomorrow we will set out and canvas the general area."

"Not gonna be relying on that scrap heap Thundercracker, are we?" Ironhide spoke up.

"He has made his choice. I can not press the matter anymore, Ironhide," Optimus replied.

Having feeling pretty drained from the R&R he had with Kate and Maggie, coupled with the sudden jolt to his internal processors of being kicked into battle ready mode, Bluestreak started to head down the far corridor to his quarters to recharge for the night seeing the meeting in the command center winding down.

"Did you do something new to yourself, Blue?" Bumblebee looked at his comrade, his optics focusing. Was it just him or did the bouncy gunner look a little more on the _glistening_ side?

"What do you mean?" Bluestreak asked, stopping.

"You look…_shiny_," Bumblebee replied.

Picking up something under his olfactory sensors, Bumblebee gave Bluestreak an awkward look.

"And why do you smell like lemon?"

Bluestreak giggled then. "Kate gave my alt mode a good cleaning! She sprayed water and used this squishy thing called a sponge to wipe the soap on and then she rinsed it off. I wasn't sure about it at first, because well you know what happens when you get water in your circuits, but I really liked it. I told her I think Hound was the only one who really liked water but it really wasn't too bad."

"And did you let her give you a good system flush as well, Blue? Hey, maybe she could change your sparkplugs!" Bumblebee harassed lightly, laughing.

"You're just jealous, Bee," Bluestreak shot back defensively.

"I think someone's emotional circuits have developed a little crush on the human," Bumblebee teased.

"I _do not_ have any kind of _crush_ on Kate. That is a human emotion. My emotional chips are just fine. I happen to enjoy her company. She's nice and fun. And I don't think about Con's," Bluestreak retorted.

"Yeah, okay, Blue," Bumblebee said sarcastically. "And that's why you smell like lemony fresh clean and play with her pet and go on and on about the next time you can try and sneak out of scouting patrol to go and see her."

Pushing past the gossipy yellow Autobot, Bluestreak started down the corridor.

"I've had a long day. I'm going to go recharge," Bluestreak said, not even shooting Bumblebee another onward glance.

Smiling a huge grin to himself, Bumblebee watched as the blue gunner made his way to his quarters with an ever so slightly happy step to his gait.

* * *

Sitting at her computer, Kate stared at her screen half listening to her radio playing lowly in the background, trying to get her thoughts off of seeing David earlier in the evening.

Ever since her first encounter with the Autobot from Cybertron, Kate had started a diary figuring that since no one would see it, it would be safe to confide all her innermost thoughts. In the beginning, she wrote in it everyday as it helped to relieve the huge secret she kept but lately she had been slacking.

No one at work knew, not even the couple girlfriends she would go out with every blue moon to have a few margaritas with. _How could you easily explain to someone that you were friends with an alien?_

It's not that Kate was ashamed of her new friendship. Quite the contrary. But she knew not everyone would be so willing to accept the Autobot's presence on earth. After all, humans had once enslaved their own based on their own fears and ignorance. And Kate was not about to bring about any kind of negative attention to her friend or his comrades.

"…_I was young/And in love/I gave you everything/But it wasn't nearly enough_/_And now you wanna communicate_…"

Kate listened to the song playing, her thoughts flashing back to seeing her ex husband. And upon getting a quick train of thought, Kate hurriedly typed into her journal entry on the screen in front of her.

"_It's funny how irony plays out. I have felt more compassion and sensitivity with the galactic Autobot Bluestreak in these last few months than I ever did with my own husband of seven years. Perhaps it is because of how much I mourn for the loss I have suffered in the past six months and that I am clinging to an ordeal that can not be explained. _

_I often wonder what Bluestreak's thoughts are towards me as a friend and as a human. I'd like to think he sees me as a friend. He is often guarded whenever I ask him questions about his home world and I sense that he has been through much pain and suffering. I do not press the matter though as I understand his reasons to keep everything to himself._

_For now though, I feel most fortunate that I have been given this amazing opportunity to interact with such an intelligent and caring being. The rest, I suppose, will come in time."_

Sighing to herself, Kate sat back in her chair, reading over what she just wrote just faintly hearing the roar of a couple jets pass by her house over head.

**Music Credit/Reference:** "_**Too Little Too Late" – Recorded by JoJo**_


	7. The Thundercracker Dilema Pt 2

**Chapter 6**

"Soon, doc?" Jazz asked, hopeful.

From the amount of over exuberance present in the silver Autobot's voice, Ratchet could tell his old friend was burning a hole through his exhaust line with anticipation of being able to transform and get out. For Jazz to be pent up in one place was nothing short of the equivalent to extinguishing his spark. He was just too carefree of a being to have it any other way.

The medic was more than hoping this was going to be the _last_ of the infamous repair sessions so that the second in command could get back into the field and be a fully functioning mech once more. It had been a long hard fight Ratchet had sworn he had lost a few times.

"Your replications are holding together well. We'll try in a few solar cycles to see how the transforming holds up," Ratchet said.

"Man oh man…it's been so long since I've seen my alt form. It'll be straight out whacked to be able to hit the road again!" Jazz said.

"Just as long as nothing hits _you._ I don't know how well those new replications will hold under any kind of extreme combat," Ratchet replied, an unsure expression on him.

Chuckling a little, Jazz hastily replied, "Doc, you worry too much!"

"It's called being practical. Brashness won't get anyone repaired," was Ratchet's even keeled reply. "Which reminds me…did Bee tell you about Blue?"

"No? Why? What's going on with Blue?" Jazz asked.

Ratchet chuckled then. "Bee said he smelled like lemons the other day…from the car wash Kate gave him."

"Kate…she seems like an alright kind of human," Jazz replied nodding in apparent approval. "I don't think I've ever seen Blue so…"

"Infatuated?" Ratchet offered.

A serious expression came over Jazz's optics then. "The kid's been through a lot…you _know_ that, Ratchet," Jazz said pointedly. "Member' when we first found him? How it took us close to three solar cycles just to get him to power down so he could recharge for the night because all he could was sit in a corner and rock back and forth? And don't even go there about all the times Optimus, Prowl, and I have woken him up from the screaming he did during the night when recharging."

Jazz shrugged breezily. "Maybe him diggin' on Kate helps keep everything quiet for him. Keeps his logic and memory circuits from spinning and spinning a thousand clicks a minute. And if he's a little infatuated…then so be it."

"I'm not disagreeing with you, Jazz. We all know Blue's a survivor, not too mention one of the best sharp shooters to have ever come online. I just think he needs to be _careful_…" Ratchet clarified.

"Cuz' Kate's a human?" Jazz asked.

"No…because Blue _isn't _and his logic circuits need to remember that. Its bad enough Hound wants to up and trade his chassis and sparkplugs for a new fleshy body. Blue doesn't need to be getting in on it too," Ratchet said firmly.

"Well from all the repair jobs I've been through, _I'm _bout' ready to start praying to the matrix for a new upgrade! I've always wondered what I'd look like as a human," Jazz chuckled then.

"_You _just got a new upgrade when we came back here," Ratchet told him pointedly.

Grabbing a soddering tool that was sitting near by, turning the power on, Ratchet turned back to Jazz.

"Now," Ratchet said in his usual no non sense tone. "Enough of this ridiculous talk about wanting to be a fleshy…it's enough to make my circuits short out…let's get this repair job underway!"

* * *

"Slag! That's the second transmission that got severed!" Ironhide exclaimed.

Standing in the command center, Optimus and he had been trying for the last two megacycles to download two transmissions that had tried to come through from Prowl and Wheeljack back on Cybertron to no avail.

With Ratchet in a possible monumental repair session with Jazz that everyone was hoping would be the last and Bluestreak and Bumblebee currently MIA, Optimus turned back to Ironhide who, along with a couple of the human engineers and their Captain who had originally helped build the system, was trying diligently to find out where the glitch was.

"Did we manage to salvage anything from them?" Optimus asked.

"Very little, most of it was static…but I did manage to get that Prowl said something about there being complications with the Cybertronian Peace Council," Ironhide replied.

"Not surprising given Shockwave was so defiant against it," Optimus replied back knowingly.

"I would be willing to bet my rear axle that slaggin' Decepticon puts a wrench into things. I don't know why you ever trusted that twisted piece of tin to just go along with everything. We should've melted him down when we had the chance," Ironhide shot back, his tone icy.

"Shockwave is definitely more than capable of creating problems, I agree. But melting him down would've made us no better than what Megatron and the rest of the Decepticons did to our fallen comrades," Optimus said.

"Yeah, well it would've made _me _feel better," Ironhide grumbled back.

"The Peace Council will be a success but it'll take time. Great societies aren't built on hastiness. They're built on patience and a willingness to _work _together. Shockwave and the other Decepticons will see this in time," Optimus reassured.

Ironhide smirked, not convinced in the slightest.

"And if they don't? They already have a rogue here on earth with his band of merry Decepticons. When was the last time you remember a Con' surrendering with no underlying plan for power, Optimus?"

The Autobot leader stopped what he was doing and gave his weapons specialist a rigid glance that Ironhide knew all too well. From all the years serving with him and the countless battles they had been in, Ironhide knew when their leader's circuits were getting aggravated.

"There is always a first time for everything, Ironhide. Remember that," was Optimus' simple reply.

Just then, the human Captain who had been working on the main frame walked over to Optimus, a frown on him.

"We can't find anything. I ran a virus scan all through the system but everything's coming back clean," he said.

"Does it show signs of being tampered with in any way?" Optimus asked.

"No," the Captain replied, shaking his head. "The antivirus and firewall programs would've all caught that, I'm sure."

Suddenly, the floor below started vibrating lightly as a dull roar of what sounded like revving engines was heard coming from outside.

Ironhide shook his head. "I wonder who won this time," he said to himself.

Turning around, his blue optics narrowing, Optimus asked, "Are Bluestreak and Bumblebee out there doing what I think they're doing?"

Ironhide shrugged.

"_Are they?" _Optimus questioned the black Autobot.

"Aw come on, Prime! They're just out there having a little earth fun. That human Blue's emotional circuits have a crush on…what's her name? Kayla? Kathy? _Kate_! That's it, Kate! Well she ended up stopping by right when they got back and…" Ironhide replied.

"I told them both to scout and report back _as soon as possible_ on the area Skywarp was in, not hold a drag race on the runway in back of the base," Optimus replied wearily.

"I tried telling them…" Ironhide began and then stopped as his optics did a double take at what was suddenly walking into their command center, realizing the rumbling they had just felt wasn't from Bluestreak and Bumblebee flexing their engines.

* * *

Making his way defiantly over to where Optimus and Ironhide were standing, Thundercracker looked around, uneasy, knowing full well he was _not _in friendly territory.

"What are _you_ doing here, Seeker?" Ironhide seethed at the grey jet.

"_Enough, Ironhide_. Go out and tell Bluestreak and Bumblebee I want their reports," Optimus said.

With a wicked scowl across him, Thundercracker watched as Ironhide exited grumpily, walking past the couple of humans who were still running their diagnostics on the main frame.

"Problems with your fabulous kickin' crew, Prime?" Thundercracker asked sarcastically.

"If you do not have anything productive to say, then you can leave, Thundercracker," Optimus ordered calmly, pointing his finger towards the main exit.

"I just wanted to tell you that getting anything about Screamer isn't going to happen. I was out the other day, flying westward at low altitude and nearly missed having my throttle cluster slagged by Blackout," Thundercracker informed the Autobot leader.

Bringing up the radar grid up on the main screen that was, thankfully, still functioning without a glitch, Optimus pointed.

"Was it in these coordinates?"

Thundercracker nodded, recognizing the numbers immediately.

Shrugging in the direction of the humans working on the rest of the computer, Thundercracker commented offhandedly, "Human tech not mixing well with Cybertronian tech?" not really meaning it as an insult, but more from an observational point of view.

"That does seem to be the case right now, yes," Optimus admitted.

"You know Cybertronian tech runs 1,000 times faster than theirs, right? Mixing them both is probably making the Cybertronian parts work slower," Thundercracker offered.

"I see your reasoning and don't doubt the accuracy of it, but their informational system they have created is vital to us remaining informed of any earth locations or areas that we may have to look into," Optimus explained.

Thundercracker gave off a slight snort. "I _suppose_ the fleshling's creation of the world wide web _is_ satisfactory…given their _obvious_ deficiencies."

Pulling out a small microchip from one of the compartments in his arm, Thundercracker walked over to the main computer and looked down at the keypads, his thought processors turning.

Catching the Decepticon's sudden interest, Optimus moved over next to him, making his massive his presence known. Thundercracker wasn't fazed.

"Relax, Prime. I'm not going to upload a virus or slag your computer," Thundercracker spat coldly. "Frenzy and Ravage can do that for you."

The Autobot leader crossed his arms. "Then what are you doing?"

Thundercracker held up the shiny green and silver circular chip to the commander's optics.

"Know what this is?"

Optimus nodded. "It's a data stabilizer."

"So…you don't hold the spark of the Matrix for nothing after all, huh Prime?"

"Get on with it, Thundercracker."

"When we Decepticons first came to earth before, our alt forms had glitches in them from the reconfigurations of mixing human and our tech together," Thundercracker explained. "Our robot modes were fine, but our alt modes didn't respond as smoothly."

"I never noticed Megatron or any of the other Decepticons having that problem," Optimus replied, skeptical of what Thundercracker was saying was truth or not.

"No, you wouldn't, that's the point. Megatron figured out that a data stabilizer would not only stabilize our alt modes, but that it would actually blend with the human tech and make it run cohesively with ours as one unit instead of two separate ones competing. Being that Autobots were made to be more 'user friendly', your internal systems were probably already installed with a type of stabilizing unit and that's the reason you never came across the glitch," Thundercracker finished.

Optimus said nothing as this was the first he had ever heard of such a thing. Of all the repairs Ratchet and Wheeljack had done in the past, they had never mentioned anything of the sort as well.

"Look," Thundercracker began annoyance thick in his tone. "Either you can take the slaggin' stabilizer or you can deal with your system crashing every other human hour. It'll just get worse from the system having to work ten times as hard. And then you won't be able to pick up a radio wave let alone an energy signature or anything from Cybertron."

"You can install it?" Optimus asked cautiously.

Thundercracker nodded.

A pause.

"Alright," Optimus said finally. "But do it _carefully_."

* * *

From all the ruckus coming from the command center, Ratchet put the soddering tool down he had been holding, the tip of it still smoldering.

"What the slag is going on?" He asked Jazz who was just as bewildered.

"C'mon, Ratchet. We better get out there. That doesn't sound good, whatever it is. We can finish this tomorrow," Jazz said.

And when the two Autobots got out to the command center, they were stunned to see a Decepticon Seeker at their controls, fiddling with a little round chip with a very agitated Ironhide expressing his blatant loud disapproval.

"I can't believe you're gonna trust this worthless scrap of metal! Screamer probably put him up to this so that it would slag the system!" Ironhide shot at Optimus, the decibels in his vocal processor rising steadily.

"Optimus?" Ratchet asked. "What's going on?"

"TC's got a data stabilizer to fix the glitch in the system," Bumblebee promptly answered.

Jazz walked over to where Thundercracker was standing, seeing all of the green ready lights on the counsel lit brightly.

"Well you must be doin' somethin' alright cuz all these are fully lit," Jazz said, pushing a few buttons on the key pad.

"Wow. Big surprise there," Thundercracker smirked.

Turning to Optimus, Jazz said, "System's stable."

"Noted," Optimus replied. "That was very good, Thundercracker. I thank you for your willingness to help."

Giving off an angry huff, Ironhide stomped out, pushing past Bumblebee who stood next to Bluestreak with Kate at his side.

Staring wide eyed at the huge grey robot, Kate looked up at Bluestreak imploringly.

"Is this another…friend…of yours?" Kate stammered.

Bluestreak responded quickly, his internal CPU starting to beat a little faster from seeing the Decepticon. "Um…I wouldn't say friend really. I mean, he's not an Autobot. He's a Decepticon, an independent. Although him being here now…I don't know what that makes him. I don't know what he's doing here. He's usually out, flying wherever although I don't see him much. I guess it must be alright if Optimus is allowing him here but it doesn't make much sense unless he's got…"

"Shut up!" Thundercracker shouted at the blue gunner, spinning around from what he had been doing, the chip half installed. "The rest of the Autobots may not say anything to you but I'm not an Autobot so shut your fraggin' sorry…"

Immediately, before Thundercracker could finish his tirade, Jazz and Bumblebee had drawn out their weapons, pointing them square at the Seeker, the ion energy pulsing wildly through them, waiting for that crucial pull of the trigger.

"This is the _second_ time I've called you out, TC. _There won't be a third. Don't make me have to remind you of your place here_," Jazz hissed at the Seeker.

Thundercracker slammed the door to the computer counsel shut. "This isn't kickin' at all. I'm outta here," he scoffed.

And without another word, the Seeker abruptly turned on his feet to head out, shooting Bluestreak a heated glance from his optics and, upon seeing Kate standing next to him, added haughtily to Bluestreak, "That figures. Fleshlings babble as much as you do. What a perfect match."

Stepping protectively in front of Kate, Bluestreak brought his shoulder cannons online.

"Let him go, Bluestreak," Optimus said.

Obeying his commander, Bluestreak did as he was told and then looked down at Kate whose face was a mix of confusion and subtle alarm.

"That was…interesting," she finally let out.

"Thundercracker has never been the social type," Bluestreak chuckled. "But then again, he's a Decepticon. Being social isn't in their programming."

"Yeah, I would say so," Kate agreed and then looking at her watch, said, "Well I better get going. I've gotta work tomorrow. I'll see ya later, alright?"

"Okay," Bluestreak replied. "See ya!"

Smiling a huge grin at her, Bluestreak turned around to see if he could help Jazz with what was left to do on the computer given that Thundercracker's chip was half installed.

And as Kate turned to head out, still thinking about the Decepticon she had just seen, she nearly collided with the tall, blond haired, uniformed gentleman who was heading into the command center, his hands carrying a few thick binders that almost went on the floor.

"Oh shit!" Kate exclaimed. "I am really sorry!"

The man smiled gently at her, catching the binders just in time.

"Don't worry about it!" he said casually, his hazel eyes smiling in a friendly manner behind his glasses.

"Would you like some help?" Kate asked.

"Oh I'm fine, thanks for asking," the man replied.

"You know, I've seen you around here a few times lately and I don't think I ever got your name," the man said.

"It's Kate," she said putting her hand out and then seeing how full his hands were, started to retract it, but the man just smiled and proceeded to set everything on the ground.

"Captain Mike Lansing of the US Air Force," he said, shaking her hand with a nice firm grip. "I don't recall you being on the roster of those employed here," he continued. "Are you from Washington?"

"No, no, nothing like that!" Kate laughed.

_Me, a beaurocrat? Yeah right!_ Kate giggled to herself.

"No, I'm just a…a…well…"

"Acquaintance?" Mike finished.

Kate snapped her fingers, shaking her head in agreement. "Yeah! Acquaintance, that's it."

* * *

"Kickin'?" Bumblebee asked Jazz. "I thought his thing was 'geeky'."

From across where Kate was, Jazz and Ratchet were trying to reboot the system as Bluestreak tried to retrieve the transmissions from before.

"Geeky is old school, Bee," Jazz informed the yellow Autobot. "Apparently TC is more down with human culture than he thinks!"

Bumblebee didn't seem satisfied. "Yeah, but kickin'? It just doesn't sound right, Jazz, especially coming out of a Decepticon."

Jazz gave off an easy going laugh. "Does anything ever sound right comin' from a Con'?"

Suddenly, Jazz felt a slight nudge to his side. Looking up, he saw Ratchet nodding in Bluestreak's direction.

The young gunner had not only stopped his attempts at the transmission retrieval, but seemed to be transfixed on something in the hallway. Following his gaze, Jazz saw exactly what it was.

In the entrance way to the command center that connected the main corridor, stood Kate and Captain Lansing, engaged in a friendly conversation, a light laugh emitting from Kate every now and then.

"Blue?" Jazz said then.

Glancing back over to Ratchet who just shook his head, Jazz called out louder, "Yo, Blue!"

Finally turning around, Bluestreak blinked his optics blankly.

"Huh? Did you say something, Jazz?"

Jazz pointed to the computer screen. "The transmissions. We need them."

"Oh, yeah…I was doing that. I just got a little…"

"Distracted?" Bumblebee perked up.

Keeping quiet, Bluestreak hurriedly went to work on trying to bring up the transmissions from Prowl and Wheeljack.

* * *

"Well, it's been really nice meeting you, Captain," Kate said.

"Please, call me Mike. You're a civilian."

Kate nodded. "Okay, Mike…well I've gotta get going."

"I'm assuming since you're an acquaintance, I'll be seeing you around?" Mike said to her.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Kate replied. "Nice meeting you."

Mike smiled at her then. "Nice meeting you, too."

Quickly, Kate headed out to her car and when she finally got on the road, a yawn came to her. Turning on her radio, a DJ's voice came on with an advertisement for cheaper car payments and then a quick traffic update.

"_I-78 is backed up southbound due to a two car accident. Avoid the area if you can because there are heavy delays._"

The expressway was the quickest way home but Kate wasn't in the mood to deal with all that damn traffic. She would be there forever. She just wanted to get home and head to bed. _I-78 is becoming nothing but a death trap!_ Kate said to herself.

Remembering there was a long way around, Kate put her turn signal on and turned left down a less populated road, her headlights illuminating the road in front of her, not even noticing the black police car trailing far behind.


	8. Taken

**Chapter 7**

_Hissing. Growling. Something horrible. A monster coming to steal and devour her soul._

Opening her eyes, her vision slightly blurry, Kate tried to focus. She was laying on her side, on a cold metal floor, metal bars surrounding her and on top, the air musty and damp. Frantically, she looked around herself trying desperately to remember, something, _anything_.

_The police car…it had stopped me._ She was sure of it.

_But what the hell happened after?_

Feeling a stinging sensation from her forehead, Kate put her fingers up to touch the area only to see they were covered in bright red blood. And then Kate started to remember, slowly, everything coming back like broken, hazy apparitions from a hellish nightmare.

_The police car… flashers on…ordering her to get out of the car with her hands up…transforming…coming after her…reaching for her…speaking_ _in a language she didn't understand._

Trying desperately to get to her feet, Kate let out a slight cry as she felt her body wracked with an agonizing pain that was pulsating from her head down to her legs.

_Running…trying to get away…her mouth unable to scream…her body being hurled to the pavement…her head hitting the ground…_

Suddenly, out of the darkness, a grey and black robotic beast came lunging out, hissing and growling at the bars, snapping wildly, his optics red with fury. Letting out a horrified scream, Kate shrunk to the back of her steel prison, trying to stay as far away from the wretched creature as she possibly could.

With her body pushed into a sickening terror that was gripping its claws into her fiercely, Kate started trembling uncontrollably, her breaths coming out faster as she felt her heart beat start to go spastic, making her light headed, as if she was going to pass out at any second.

And then it all poured out. Flashes. Playing like a movie in fast forward. Fleeting images of her life.

_David. Their wedding day. Tears in his eyes. Making love until the daylight. _

_The baby. Buying little dresses from the mall. Time of death 2:36 p.m._

_Maggie. A little fat puppy. Wet kisses. The Lake._

_Bluestreak. Standing watching the sunset. _

_Decepticons. Conquering. Domination._

And before Kate knew it, she was seeing nothing but blackness.

* * *

Thundercracker looked over the light brown camouflaged F-22 Raptor walking in front of him trying to thoroughly mask his disdain. Diagnostic reports had said the humans had built the state of the art fighter plane to be the ultimate in military air superiority, but all Thundercracker saw was the same as ever treacherous Decepticon with a major ego chip malfunction, only this time it was two hundred times more inflated than ever before.

_At least I don't have all that excess scrap on me like he does, _Thundercracker thought proudly, glad the reconfiguration had left him vastly different from his former air commander and his wing mate Skywarp who both now had hulking robot modes to try and accommodate their F-22 styling.

Walking through a darkened tunnel that looked like it had just recently been dug, Thundercracker silently followed the self appointed Decepticon leader. It had never been a secret how ravenously power hungry Starscream was. _Everyone_ knew that. And after Megatron's defeat and disposal back on Cybertron by Optimus Prime and the Autobots, Thundercracker knew Starscream was going to seize the advantage given to him, having actually been delighted to see his former leader gone.

But with the immense force of the Autobots and many Decepticons surrendering out of sheer shock from Megatron being destroyed, Starscream and the small group of Decepticons that actually remained with him knew they could not stay on Cybertron. Pride and an unbridled implanted lust for domination would _never_ allow them to submit to _any_ Autobot. And knowing that, they set off to earth, remembering full well how insignificant and delicate the human race was.

Reaching an opening deep into the cave they had started in, Starscream immediately walked over to a huge Cybertronian computer setup that looked vaguely familiar to the system in the former Nemesis ship that had brought them to earth the first time. Putting in a series of codes, Starscream watched as the data command turned on the system and the lighting for the area.

Turning to his former comrade, Starscream spoke in their native Cybertronian language.

"I am still not entirely convinced of your allegiance, Thundercracker. But being a Decepticon is who you are never the less," Starscream said to him. "Tell me, old friend, was your sudden identity glitch solved by Optimus Prime's urging for you to spy on me or your sudden conclusion you will submit under my absolute rule?"

Thundercracker said nothing.

"I find your insolence to be vexing! Did you really think I would _not _find out about your treacherous scheme?" Starscream scoffed arrogantly.

"The Autobots are nothing but Cybertronian parasites," Thundercracker replied dryly.

"While I have half a logic circuit to fully agree with you, Thundercracker, your choosing to be independent to our cause naturally makes me suspicious. The Autobots may be parasites, trying to infect every Cybertronian with their so called perfect means, but they are also fools just as you are. And as the _rightful_ leader of the Decepticon forces, I will _not_ let you undermine my keen intelligence into thinking you mean to be anything but a fool," Starscream finished.

Listening to him, Thundercracker actually thought he sounded more _grounded_ than before, more composed. The old Starscream he knew would've never taken the time to explain anything, favoring blasting colossal holes into his opponent, hoping it would take them offline in the process. Perhaps the reconfiguration had something to do with it as Thundercracker had noticed Starscream's vocal processor was slightly deeper and not so screechy.

_Yeah, well, none of us are really the same as before_, Thundercracker said to himself then.

Starscream proceeded to walk over to a small metal cage that looked like it might have been a nesting place for Ravage at one point in time. It sat on the floor toward the other end of the area they had been standing in. Above the cage was a small opening in the ceiling of the cave showing the night sky peaceful. And as Thundercracker got close enough to see what was so special about it, he stopped in his tracks.

In the cage, lying in the far back corner was a female human, sleeping, the _same_ human Thundercracker had seen with that motor mouth Autobot.

"Fortunately for you though, TC, I will consider being lenient toward you as I feel you could still prove to be a worthy asset to our cause," Starscream said.

Pointing to the cage, the Decepticon leader continued, "I will give you two choices to prove your allegiance and your willingness to submit to my being the supreme ruler of the Decepticons. Terminate the insect and take whatever remains of it to the Autobots as a token we Decepticons _will not_ ever be ruled over or watch as I peel the flesh from its body to which I assure you it will suffer immensely."

"Well, it's good to know I have choices, Screamer," Thundercracker replied sarcastically.

"_I suggest you choose wisely because if you don't, I will shred every brand new part off you with my one bare hand and crush your spark with the other_!" Starscream warned gravely.

Looking over the human, Thundercracker smiled viciously then and laughed out loud.

"_You mock me?!"_ Starscream roared at him.

Thundercracker shook his head no. "I've got a better idea about that insect you have in that cage."

"Oh?"

"You know how they need supplements for their bodies to survive. It's one of the essentials to their life cycle," Thundercracker explained.

"And?"

"Let it sit in there. Let its body be drained of all its energy. And if the insect gets noisy about it, I'll just hurry the process up," Thundercracker said.

Starscream's optics glared at him and Thundercracker thought it looked like his new patience was coming to a quick end. "If this is a scheme to…"

"Look it up on the information system the humans have set up," Thundercracker interrupted. "Read what it does to them. It's one of the most brutal ways to go offline."

Starscream looked over to the human and then back to his former comrade.

"Your brutality is touching. I will be most interested to see this unfold as it may be something we can use when we extinguish the entire lot of them. But it will be _your _responsibility to dispose of its remains, is that understood?" Starscream said.

"You mean hand it to the Autobots?" Thundercracker piped up.

Starscream grinned pleasantly. "How very nice it is to have you to your old self, TC."

* * *

Voices. Strange voices in a tongue she had never heard before. The same strange language she had heard from the police car that had transformed before her eyes and nearly killed her.

Waking up, Kate looked down at her watch. It was early morning. She was supposed to have a meeting at ten about her department's financial budget for the next fiscal year. But as Kate looked around her surroundings, the bars still holding her captive, she knew she was not going to make it.

Solid rock walls surrounded her and it seemed to Kate that she was in some kind of cave or mountain. All around were towering strange electronic devices including what looked like a computer with its keyboard and monitor above it.

On a table across from where Kate was, she could see a bunch of strange metal contraptions that looked liked hand held weapons of some sort. And as she stood behind the bars keeping her prisoner, her hands wrapping around them, the coolness on her hands, Kate immediately recognized two of the Decepticons standing at the table. One was the cop car who had taken her and the other was the grouchy one who had made his snide comment to Bluestreak at the Autobot base. They were standing with another black robot conversing amongst themselves in their strange tongue.

"Starscream's really kickin' it with the leader thing, huh?" Thundercracker commented casually.

Next to him, Barricade and Skywarp stood, trying to fasten a few stubborn screws on what they were working on.

"Shut it, traitor!" Barricade yelled nastily at him.

Looking over to where Ravage was, who was meticulously guarding the human, Thundercracker said off handedly, "Looks like Ravage is enjoying his job. I didn't think he would've functioned being away from his buddy Soundwave."

"Considering how Screamer forced him into coming back here, I'm amazed he even does what he's told in the first fraggin place," Skywarp muttered, his optics avoiding any contact with Thundercracker.

"It's his beast mode. They're made to be loyal," Thundercracker replied, looking at his former wing mate whose black and purple coloring had been replaced by sleek blackness on his F-22 frame.

Barricade snorted then, clearly annoyed by the grey Seeker's presence. "_Loyalty? What do you know of loyalty?"_

Thundercracker sighed at the snarling comment. There were times, times when he had been so lonely all he could was take to the sky and let his neural circuits keep him company of what had been before. When the days of the mighty Decepticons were ruled by Megatron and not some recycled, egotistical, scrap heap.

It was enough for Thundercracker to long for those days once more even for how unsure he was back then. But as he sensed the tension in the air around him, Thundercracker decided to get up and stretch his leg joints.

Seeing the human Starscream had caged from the corner of his optics, Thundercracker walked over to where her tiny body was standing behind the metal bars.

"I have to go to the bathroom," she said to him quietly.

Thundercracker had really been amazed. Most humans by now would've been whining and crying, a sound that sent every ounce of fluid running through his body straight to his head. It was enough to make him want to crush them flat when they did that. But not her. Even as much as her eyes held mounds of silent unknowing fear, all morning, she had done nothing but watch everything around her, not making a peep.

"Do you understand?" She said again more forcefully. "_I have to go to the bathroom."_

Looking down at her, Thundercracker snarled, "I am _not_ your Autobot friend. You don't order me to do anything, got it?"

"I have to go _now._ Do you understand what that means?"

"I care nothing of what your human bodily functions are. Do it in there," Thundercracker snapped back.

Turning to walk away, Thundercracker looked over to Barricade and Skywarp who seemed to be highly consumed in whatever they were building to use to destroy the Autobots to notice him. Sighing to himself, the Seeker turned around and bent down, pushing the keys on the outside of the cage as the door opened.

"Over there," Thundercracker pointed. "Think about escaping and I'll not only blast an opening as wide as Cybertron through your fleshy body but I will also go after your overly chatty Autobot friend and make sure he stays offline permanently," he growled at her menacingly.

Nodding in agreement, Kate walked silently over to the spot the Decepticon was pointing in, glad she didn't have to do it inside the metal cage instead.

* * *

The lights woke Kate up immediately. Somehow, she had managed to fall asleep on the floor, curled up into a little ball as thoughts fell on if she would get the chance to wake up the next day and if Bluestreak somehow knew she was there. She missed him horribly, listening to his cheerful banter, seeing his happy little goofy grins.

Next to the cage Kate was in, the robotic beast who had been on guard all evening, stood up, hissing at the intruder who stood at the computer.

Taking a small round disk from his arm compartment, Thundercracker caught sight of it, Ravage, flying at him wildly. Swiftly, without much effort, Thundercracker caught the beast in mid air with one angry grasp and hurled him across the way, as if it had been nothing more than a pesky fly bothering him, the creature's body hitting the rock walls with a dull _thud._

Energized from the scuffle, Kate got to her feet and watched as Thundercracker proceeded to insert the disk into the computer's main frame, hearing it beep several times and then stop saying, "_Download Complete_."

Taking the disk out and putting it away, Thundercracker turned to the cage Kate was in. She backed up from the bars, her pulse racing. He was going to kill her, she was sure of it. This was it.

"Keep quiet and you just might make it outta here, alright?" Thundercracker told her lowly.

Realizing what the Decepticon was going to do, Kate nodded. But as she was about to say something, she turned her head to the entrance way as three other Decepticons appeared, all heavily armed with their weapons out and pointed.

Speaking in Cybertronian, Starscream lamented, "I am impressed, TC, truly impressed. I thought you would've taken your time to make sure you had my trust. But then again, treachery is never patient, is it?"

"Speak for yourself, Screamer!" Thundercracker spat back.

"And to think, Megatron thought you were useless," Starscream said.

Thundercracker let out a sarcastic laugh. "Funny…he used to say the same thing about you too."

"Megatron was nothing more than a bunch of rusty parts put together with a wrench and some screws. He always knew I was the rightful leader!"

"You, Starscream, couldn't lead a slag pile to a trash compactor! You are nothing! Megatron was the _rightful_ leader of the Decepticons! All you're doing is trailing in his shadow and that's all you'll ever be able to do!"

Enraged by Thundercracker's words, Starscream opened fire but Thundercracker quickly dodged the deadly ammunition from the Rapor's arm, which hit the rock wall instead, tearing chunks from it.

"_Terminate him at once!"_

Aiming for Barricade's neck, Thundercracker fired two of his missiles, knocking the black Decepticon off his feet, unprepared for the direct hit, pieces of metal flying wildly into the air.

Seeing everything going down right in front of her, Kate crouched down at the back of the cage, hoping to God one of them didn't hit the little prison. She didn't know what else to do. She was trapped.

_Please…let me make it out of here, God. Please. _Kate prayed silently as she heard their weapons shooting off like a demilitarized zone.

"_Skywarp, destroy him!"_ Starscream shrieked at the black jet, but Skywarp did nothing.

Grabbing Thundercracker by his shoulders, Starscream pounced on him, pounding through his armor with his fists and then proceeding to violently throw the grey Seeker into the wall. Feeling Starscream grab him again, a crazed expression settled in his optics, Thundercracker took his fists and drove them as hard as they would go into the Decepticon's canopy, grabbing two hands full of brown metal, making Starscream stumble backward onto the ground. Pulling his gun out of subspace, Thundercracker fired it abruptly, point blank, all frustrations from so long finally coming out. From the sheer force of being fired upon so close, Starscream remained on the ground, his front armor badly damaged.

Shooting a bewildered glance over at Skywarp who still did nothing, Thundercracker turned to the cage holding Kate, ripping the door off with one hand as Kate jumped forward and stepped out.

Hearing the _whooshing_ of helicopter blades close by outside, Thundercracker knew that meant Blackout was close not too mention, he was probably carrying Scorponok with him. There was no way he would be able to hold the both of them off.

About to pick Kate up in his hands and transform to get them both out of there before reinforcements arrived, he heard the human scream at him, "_Thundercracker!"_

Turning around, he saw Starscream, aiming his arm missiles straight at Kate. Firing directly at her, Thundercracker moved into their path, try to block them from hitting their target. But from the awkward position the Decepticon leader had fired, the blast ended up not only hitting Thundercracker in his side, ripping open a huge tear into his hydraulics, making him drop to his knee joints, but into the solid rock wall as well, smashing huge chunks off that spewed everywhere uncontrollably.

And before Kate knew what happened, one of the chunks slammed into her upper body, as she heard a faint _pop _come from her shoulder area, knocking her to the ground, her screams echoing through the cave. Trying furiously to get back up, Kate found she couldn't move her left shoulder at all. Feeling a gentle hand pick her up and enclose around her, Kate closed her eyes.

Hearing the helicopter getting closer by the second, Thundercracker glanced back toward Skywarp who hadn't moved an inch during the whole fight.

"The next time we meet, TC…it won't be as comrades," Skywarp said, his voice low.

Transforming, Thundercracker took off for the sky, blasting his way through the tiny opening of the cave with every bit of strength he had left.


	9. Hurt

**Chapter 8**

"LET GO OF ME!" Bluestreak yelled furiously.

"Blue, c'mon…calm down, you're gonna fry your neural circuits!" Ironhide said to the gunner who was struggling aggressively to free himself from the weapons specialist's grip.

For as strong as Ironhide was, he was slightly surprised to see he was having such trouble containing the young Auotbot who was normally pretty easy going. It never occurred to him the kid possessed the strength of a fire cannon.

"I want to see her! LET GO!"

"Blue…"

"No! I WANT TO SEE HER NOW!"

"Ratchet's trying to help her. She's going to be okay," Bumblebee said soothingly.

Freeing himself finally, as it was more or less Ironhide finally giving up struggling with him, Bluestreak ran into the med bay from the corridor he had been standing in.

Lying on the table, a huge gash on her upper forehead, unable to move her shoulder, was Kate. As Bluestreak looked her over, he could feel his emotional circuits twisting horribly inside with a nauseating mix of anger and hurt from seeing her in so much pain. _Holy Primus, they tortured her! _Bluestreak thought pitifully.

"Can't ya just pop it back in?" Jazz asked Ratchet.

Ratchet did another quick scan and shook his head no.

"She's too small for me to try anything like that. Too much force and I could end up taking her arm off. If it was a complete break in the hinge, I'd be able to try something, but not with something like that," Ratchet said, sighing.

"Ratchet?" Bluestreak asked, his voice quivering, his optics desperately searching the medic for answers.

"Blue…" Jazz said to him softly.

"No, Jazz! I want to know what's going on! Why won't someone tell me what's wrong? Why can't you help her, Ratchet?" Bluestreak cried.

Suddenly then, Optimus appeared with Captain Lansing. Leaning over Kate, the Captain felt lightly on the injured shoulder, seeing its obvious distortion, as Kate let out a painful cry.

Wincing, Bluestreak looked on, feeling helpless. He didn't know what to do for her and it was killing him.

The Captain turned to Optimus and the others, his face glancing with concern toward Bluestreak the most.

"Can you repair her?" Optimus asked concerned.

The Captain frowned a bit. "There's an on call physician who's on his way but he won't be able to get here for another 45 minutes. With the limited funds this base is running on and the high security clearance, the funds just aren't there to keep a 24 hour fully staffed medical team because all of the funding is going toward other things."

"What does that mean?" Bluestreak blurted out.

The Captain sighed and then looked back at Kate. "The physician told me to go ahead and try to do a shoulder reduction to reduce any kind of muscle damage and increased swelling until he gets here."

"You mean pop it back into place manually?" Ratchet asked him.

The Captain nodded.

"Is that going to hurt her?" Bluestreak asked. "That doesn't sound good."

The Captain remained silent.

Having read the Captain's silent reply, Jazz pulled Bluestreak lightly by the arm. "Let's go wait out in the corridor, Blue."

"I _don't _want to wait out there. I want to make sure she's going to be okay. And if it's going to hurt her, I…"

"Go out into the corridor, Bluestreak. _That's an order_," Optimus said to him, his voice in between stern and compassionate.

Leaning back to Kate, the Captain took her hand gently in his.

"Kate, your shoulder's been dislocated. I'm going to try and do a reduction to pop it back into place," he told her softly.

Kate's eyes started to fill with tears. Slowly, they rolled down her cheeks as she felt her body start to tremble again. "It's going to hurt?" She whispered knowing the answer.

The Captain nodded. "Yeah, sweetie, it's going to hurt. I'm sorry," he replied softly.

Feeling her tears roll down her cheeks even more, she whispered back, "Okay."

The Captain motioned to Ratchet. "Help me keep her steady. We're gonna have to prop her up to do this," he said.

Gently they got Kate to a sitting position. Placing his one hand at the top of her shoulder and the other hand on her wrist, the Captain looked at Kate, reading the fear spread out through her face.

"You'll feel a little bit of pressure and then a popping sensation. Ready?" He said to her gently.

Kate nodded.

"Okay," the Captain replied.

From the corridor, Bluestreak watched intently as Jazz and Ironhide kept a light grip on him. But when the piercing, painful scream emitted from the med bay, reverberating throughout the long corridor, it took Jazz, Bumblebee, and Ironhide _together_ to keep a firm grip on the distraught gunner who felt her screams rip through him.

Catching sight of the mech making his way slowly down the corridor, holding his side, Bluestreak was immediately jolted out of what was happening in the med bay.

"YOU!" Bluestreak shouted disgustedly at the top of his vocal processor. "THIS IS YOUR FAULT!"

"Hey, I…" Thundercracker started but Bluestreak wasted no time, plowing into him ferociously, throwing the Seeker into the wall, bringing a painful groan from him due to the damage he already sustained.

Bringing his shoulder cannons onto maximum power, his gun out, Bluestreak shoved it viciously into the taller mech's neck, infuriated. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't spread every little last part of you all over this corridor and watch you hemorrhage from every ounce of fluid that'll be pouring out you slaggin' Con!" Bluestreak shouted angrily at him.

"I _saved_ your little pet motor mouth! Don't believe me? Ask her!" Thundercracker yelled back.

"LIAR! You don't care for anyone but yourself! All you slaggin' Cons are the same! You just came here because you needed repairs to yourself! I bet you watched gleefully when they tortured her, didn't you?" Bluestreak shouted back.

Bumblebee nudged Ironhide. "I think we outta get Blue before he takes TC offline," he commented.

Ironhide shrugged, crossing his arms. "Let him. Be one less Con for us to deal with."

Hearing the commotion from the corridor, Optimus stepped out and walked over to Bluestreak who was holding the badly damaged Seeker up against the wall, his optics blazing with fiery anger.

"Bluestreak, stand down, now," Optimus told him sighing.

"He _let_ them torture Kate! I'm not letting him get away with it!" Bluestreak cried.

Putting a delicate hand onto Bluestreak's shoulder, feeling his body shaking from the rush to his processors, Optimus said gently, "Let's let _him_ tell what happened after he gets repaired. After all, he _did _bring her here. The Captain took care of Kate's shoulder. You can go in and see her."

Releasing Thundercracker apprehensively, Bluestreak turned around and started to head where Kate was but as he got to the entrance, he stopped in his tracks. Watching from the doorway, he saw Kate, sobbing, her eyes flooded as he understood that humans called it crying. Exhausted and overcome with emotion from everything she had been through, Kate was in the Captain's arms, holding him tightly, burying her head in his chest as he ran his hands through her hair to try and comfort her.

Bluestreak never really thought much about the humans before. He had a job to do and that was that. They were strange creatures, delicate and complicated. Highly intelligent but prone to inner self destruction. Hound, Jazz, and Bumblebee took easily to them because of their happy-go-lucky natures but Bluestreak more or less tolerated them, preferring to be around the company of those he didn't have to worry where if he stepped wrong, he would crush them in a bout of clumsiness he was often prone to.

But Kate was different. Bluestreak guessed if she was a Cybertronian, her spark would've been very strong and that she could've quite possibly have been on any of the ruling councils of Cybertron with her level headedness and calm disposition.

And as he looked into the med bay, seeing Kate and the Captain embrace, Bluestreak realized how he would _never_ be able to do the same for her. He knew some of the other Autobots had picked up humans in their hands, but Bluestreak wasn't comfortable doing that. _What if he dropped them? What if he grabbed too hard and crushed them?_

Putting his head down, Bluestreak turned to head to his quarters, leaving Kate to be comforted by her own kind.

* * *

"Blue?"

Lying on his back on his recharge bed, Bluestreak sat still, his hands resting on his chest.

Another knock and then her voice again, softly.

"Blue, its Kate."

Sighing, he got to his feet and walked over to open the door. Kate stepped inside quietly as the door slid closed. Bluestreak's optics widened.

"You're still injured?" He asked pointing to the sling her arm was sitting in.

Kate smiled up at him then, warming all of Bluestreak's internal processors.

"No. The doctor just put this on as a precaution, to help keep the joint more settled, I guess. He said I'll have to wear it for a couple weeks but that my shoulder should be okay," she explained.

"Are you in pain?" Bluestreak asked worriedly.

"No, not really, not after Mike…the Captain…popped it back into place. It's just a little stiff right now," Kate said.

Turning his head to the floor, Bluestreak's memory replayed out what he had seen in the med bay and how disturbed he felt watching her being comforted.

Getting a solemn expression to her, Kate said slowly, "Thundercracker…if it wasn't for him…for what he did…I wouldn't be here."

"I wouldn't have let them hurt you, Kate. We didn't know anything until Thundercracker came running in with you…and I saw you were hurt and you couldn't move your shoulder and I didn't know what to do because Ratchet was saying he couldn't do anything because he was afraid because you're so small and I…"

"Hey, hey…it's okay Blue. It's alright," Kate soothed. "I'm alright."

Stepping closer, Kate looked up at him, her brown eyes staring into his optics. Bluestreak stepped back instinctively, breaking off their eye contact as Bumblebee's words ran through his head, _I think someone's emotional circuits have developed a crush on the human_. But as he stood, looking down at Kate, her face warm and glowing, Bluestreak wondered if maybe the yellow Autobot was somewhat right after all.

"I kept thinking about you…" Kate said then.

"You did?" Bluestreak answered back.

Kate nodded. "Yeah. I had so much going through my mind…things that have happened in my life. I guess when you think death might be close, you tend to relive your life right before your eyes. Have you ever done that?"

"Yes, I have, many times. Actually every time I battle a Decepticon, I think about it. It's hard not to," Bluestreak agreed.

"Well, when I was thinking about everything, I kept thinking about all the bad but then when I thought about the good, I thought about you and how happy I am to have you as my friend," Kate said. "I'm really glad I met you that day at the lake with Maggie."

Bluestreak smiled at her. "I'm glad I met you too, Kate."

A knock then at the door. Bluestreak opened it and saw the Captain standing there.

"I was just wondering if you were ready," he said to Kate.

Turning around, Kate replied, "Yeah, just give me a quick sec."

The Captain nodded. "Alright. I'll be in the command center whenever you're ready," he replied and then turned to head out.

Kate looked up at Bluestreak again. "I just wanted to tell you goodbye before I head back home. Mike's going to give me a ride. Maggie's probably going nuts from me being gone!"

Bluestreak tried to keep from looking anymore disappointed but he wasn't sure how well that was working out as he softly replied, "Oh…he is? Okay."

He wanted to do it, reach out and touch her, feel her soft and delicate face on his sensitive fingertips, but he didn't. He wasn't a human. And that gesture was something humans did. And Bluestreak was more than aware of that fact as he stood, 16 feet tall, looking down to her.

"Goodnight, Blue," Kate said.

Bluestreak nodded back. "Night, Kate."

And as she turned to head back home, Bluestreak sat down on the edge of his recharge bed, wondering illogically what would've happened if he _would've _done the strange human gesture running through his head.


	10. Spark Extracters and Orpheus

**Chapter 9**

"What in the name of Primus is _that_?" Bumblebee asked bewildered, looking around at everyone.

The entire Autobot crew and Thundercracker were standing in front of the main frame computer, staring at the complex diagram displayed on it from the disk Thundercracker had infamously downloaded.

"What your fearless leader here wanted to know about Screamer," Thundercracker snorted still in disbelief over what he did to his former comrades two earth days ago.

"What is it?" Bluestreak asked, trying to make sense of all the mathematical measurements and calculations written on it.

"What do you make of it, Prime?" Jazz asked.

Optimus remained silent, looking extremely troubled. He _knew_ exactly what the diagrams were.

"They're spark extractors," Optimus finally said.

A hushed disbelief fell throughout the room before Jazz finally spoke up.

"Them diagrams don't look like nothing more than modified metal grapplers to tighten a hinge," Jazz said.

"Personally, I never thought Skywarp or Screamer had the logic circuits to even think up a thing like that, let alone, try and build one!" Ratchet commented.

Thundercracker shot him a spiteful glance. "For your information, Warp is _a lot_ more capable than you think…Screamer? Well…not so much, but don't underestimate Warp," Thundercracker shot back.

"Is this everything on the disk?" Optimus asked.

Thundercracker nodded. "That's everything I had time to get. I didn't have time to run an entire system scan. And no, Prime, I am _not_ going to try and do another one."

"So the next time we come across Screamer, we just make sure we knock the device offline," Bumblebee offered simply.

"Are all you Autobots wired the same way? As in totally clueless? Do your logic circuits start to go haywire when you actually have to think?" Thundercracker snapped.

Sensing there was an underlying meaning to Thundercracker's scorn, before anyone could utter another cutting comment to one another, Optimus said patiently, "What is it, Thundercracker?"

Hitting a few keys on the counsel, Thundercracker brought up another diagram that showed several internal views of the structure. Optimus studied it carefully, trying to prepare himself for whatever Thundercracker had to say.

"Somehow, Warp and Screamer have managed to manipulate the ion charges found in a normal weapon. Instead of pushing out, the device pulls _in_, but still fires like a normal weapon," Thundercracker explained carefully.

"Which means he doesn't have to get close to do it," Optimus finished.

"Slag being close enough," Thundercracker said. "Screamer's building them to look like the normal arsenal they're all equipped with. You won't have any idea which ones _are _the spark extractors and which ones _aren't_. He's got one partially built for himself already and he's working on _two_ for every single one of them. From reading the download file, I would say Warp and Screamer definitely had some help designing the actual blueprints."

Ironhide let out a snicker. "I would think so given those two couldn't build a battery."

Optimus ignored the comment. "Who?" the Autobot leader asked.

Thundercracker shrugged. "Warp and Screamer are more than capable of coming up with the idea and even building them, but the actual blueprint? The only one of us that had the engineering and mechanical know how to do it from the beginning, besides Megatron, and even he wouldn't have been able to do the calculations, would be Shockwave or Soundwave."

Ironhide shot Optimus another _told you so _glance which the leader continued to ignore.

"Are you sure?" Optimus said.

Thundercracker nodded. "Positive. Screamer probably had the both of them draw something up before he left to come back to earth. Figured that would be the way he could dispose of all of you since he knew you would follow him."

"And you expect us to believe you never _knew _anything about this before now?" Ironhide scoffed.

"In case you haven't already noticed, Starscream is not exactly the most pleasant to work with. Him and I were never the best of pals, to say the least," Thundercracker replied sourly.

Bluestreak giggled at the remark.

"Alright, let's make copies of this file and get to work," Optimus said then.

As everyone scurried about, trying to get things situated, Bluestreak watched as Thundercracker started to head out. "Hey, don't you want to stay and help?" Bluestreak called out to him cheerfully.

From the corner of his highly perceptive optic, Thundercracker saw Jazz and Bumblebee carefully watching and _waiting_.

"I've got things to do," Thundercracker said, not quite having forgot about their tussle in the corridor.

"Like what? Screamer's probably on the hunt for you…after what you did…which…I didn't say before, but thank you. Kate wouldn't of made it…if you hadn't of done what you did, you know, rescuing her and bringing her here. I really thought that…"

"_UGH!!!_" Thundercracker yelled out, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "If it'll shut you up for ten nanoclicks, then it'll make my whole stellar cycle!"

Muttering intently to himself that maybe he should've just let Starscream rip his spark out after all, Thundercracker walked back over to the computer system as everyone else turned to do their own thing, grins locked on their faces.

* * *

"Kate_, please_…I just came over here to make sure you're alright. I've left messages for you on the machine, I've tried coming over here. I didn't know what was going on. Maggie was going nuts when I knocked on the door and your neighbors said that hadn't seen you since Tuesday. If I didn't get a hold of you today, I was going to file a missing person's report!" David said to her pleadingly.

"I'm fine," Kate replied sullenly.

"Marni from your work called me and left me a message when I was in court. She said you hadn't been to work in two days and that no one had heard anything from you. That's not like you, Kate. You've gone to work sicker than a dog before to try and get that budget together," David said.

Kate bit her lip, thinking back to two days ago, when she had been a prisoner within an inter galaxy war, a war most humans probably had no idea was even taking place. She had returned to work in a daze, sitting at her desk, dressed in her business attire, looking around at her coworkers who each had their very normal human lives. They got up every morning, drove to work, went home, and had dinner with their families. But as Kate sat there, thinking about the beings that inhabited the old Harrison Air Force Base, all of the norms from everyday living looked so small and inconsequential to her.

Looking at the sling on her arm, Kate said slowly, "I was…car jacked a few days back…"

"WHAT?" David shot out, his eyes huge. "Did you file a police report? Did you give them a description of the assailants? What happened?"

"David…"

He cut her off. "No, Kate. I'm calling the sheriff's and I am going to have this resolved immediately. I've got a lot of contacts there."

"I don't even know who they were! It was dark. I just want to forget about it, alright?" Kate said tiredly.

David read the secretiveness on his ex wife's face. At 35, he had been a prosecuting attorney for several years now and he had more than enough experience to read through a lie.

"Kate, please…let me help you. All I want to do is help. Please," David said to her softly.

"_Help?_" Kate spat. "You want to help?"

David saw immediately where this was heading.

"Kate, don't do this…not now," he said to her, his voice low.

"No, David. _You _brought it up. You want to help me? Where were you months ago when I delivered Anna Marie, dead? Huh, David? Where were you? You were fucking that bitch! So don't even go there about you wanting to 'help me'," Kate swore at him, every fiber of her being throbbing with mounds of unwavering hurt.

"Kate, I still love you," David said to her, his eyes starting to water.

"I don't want to hear it! Tell that bitch that! Those words mean nothing to me now," Kate hurled at him angrily as if she was still struggling with believing the words herself.

Interrupting her ex from any kind of reply, Kate heard the doorbell ring suddenly as Maggie excitedly ran to grab one of her stuffed chew toys in her mouth to make sure she greeted whoever it was with her prized gift.

Lighting up immediately, seeing the Captain from the Autobot base standing in the doorway, Kate gave him a warm smile, her mood lifting at once.

"Hi," She said to him. "I thought you were heading to Washington this afternoon?"

Taking his hat off, he stepped inside and was immediately greeted by Maggie who's body was wiggling all over from her tail wagging so fast at the new stranger.

"Well hi there!" Mike said, bending down to scratch her behind the ears which reached a tickle spot, making Maggie's left rear paw start to kick at the air.

"Now you've did it!" Kate said.

Laughing, Mike stood back up. "The trip's been canceled, temporarily. I'm kind of on stand by right now. I figured I'd head by here and see how you were doing since I had some free time."

Kate rolled her eyes, smiling. "That's the US government for you!"

Nodding in agreement, Mike saw the well dressed gentlemen standing in the living room and looked back to Kate, slightly embarrassed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt," Mike said slowly.

Kate looked defiantly over to David whom she could tell was sizing up the older Captain. Giving a polite, friendly smile, David put his hand up and walked over to the door.

"No, it's alright. I was just leaving actually," David said, and then turned to Kate, his eyes softening. "If you need anything, I'm here."

Watching him walk out, Kate turned back to Mike who had made a new friend with Maggie as she rolled onto her back, totally soaking up the belly rub she was getting.

"Friend of yours?" Mike asked, nodding in the direction of the front door.

Kate shook her head. "Ex husband."

"Ah, okay," Mike replied. "Not good, huh?"

Kate let out a small laugh. "No," she replied still smiling. "Not good at all."

* * *

The night sky was clear, no kind of cloud cover anywhere. Way above, the moon shone brightly, lighting up the sky with an unparalleled magnificence.

Parked behind the Autobot base on the runway, alone, Kate was sitting on Bluestreak's hood, her legs pulled up tightly to her, with nothing but the silence of the open atmosphere around. Having kicked her sandals off nearby, Kate felt the air around her, breezy and comfortable through the light maroon sweater and low slung jeans she had on. And as Kate looked up at the natural beauty of the planet she lived, she couldn't help but to feel as if she was seeing everything for the very first time, glorious and riveting.

Adjusting the sling that still held her arm and shoulder steady, Kate was looking forward to not wearing it anymore, not believing two weeks had already passed since her ordeal. Sleep had been hard to come by for the first few days afterward as her dreams replayed everything in distorted visions that her subconscious had tried to forget. She tried to imagine the comical skepticism on the face of the lucky psychiatrist listening to her story of the alien beings who held her captive if she were to happen to go to one.

"So all of the star clusters have a story to them? Wow, that must've been really hard to do! On Cybertron, we don't even have all of our star clusters named, we just give them coordinates but not background stories! Technology over creativity, I suppose," Bluestreak said.

Kate giggled some, looking up at the sky. "A lot of the constellations are based on Greek mythology. I use to read about them when I was younger. I thought they were really neat because they were so full of passion and drama. And then I grew up," she told him laughing some more.

"Drama, huh? We Autobots know _nothing_ about drama…our lives are boring!" Bluestreak chirped.

"Yeah, okay, except when you're dealing with a being that wants to rip out your spark, right?" Kate replied sarcastically.

"Okay…so maybe we live a little dangerously," Bluestreak replied giggling back. "But it keeps you from getting bored!"

"I'll take your word for it," Kate smirked, a slight smile on her. "Personally when I was sitting in that cage, I think I would've taken boredom."

"So…what was your favorite one?"

"What?" Kate said.

"You said you use to read those stories and that you liked them. Which one was your favorite?" Bluestreak asked.

Kate got silent for a minute. It had been forever since she read any of them. Only a couple remained in her mind where the details of the story were clear. Finally, she snapped her fingers, coming to a conclusion.

"Well, there was this one about this musician named Orpheus. He played beautiful music, so beautiful that wherever he went, trees would bend in to hear him and animals would follow and sit with him. One day, there was a beautiful woman named Eurydice who sat and listened to him play. And then after that, she was there wherever he went and Orpheus fell in love with her deeply. And for awhile, they were happy…until Eurydice was killed. Orpheus was so distraught over losing his love that he went down to the underworld god, Hades, to try and see if he could bring Eurydice's soul back to earth with him so she could be human again. Hades agreed so long as Orpheus did not turn around to make sure she was there with him until they got back up to earth."

"What happened? Did he turn around? Did Eurydice make it out with him?" Bluestreak asked urgently.

"No. Right at the spot where the earth began and the underworld stopped, Orpheus, not trusting Hades' word, turned around and saw her soul turn into a mist and float away and he returned to earth never to see her again." Kate finished.

"Primus!" Bluestreak exclaimed. "To go through all that and leave empty handed…"

"I know," Kate said. "That's why I love that one so much. It's so passionate and about what true love really is."

Hopping off the hood, Kate put her sandals back on and stood back up, looking into the sky. Transforming out of his alt mode, Bluestreak stood next to her, his gaze up on the sky as well. Funny how the view from earth was so differently spectacular than from his home world.

"Have you ever felt that passionate about something?" Kate asked him then.

Bluestreak looked down to Kate and nodded. "We Autobots are passionate about things we really like. Optimus is passionate about our cause. He never gives up hope or sees things not working out. I look up to him a lot. Ratchet, he's passionate about repairing and making sure everyone is okay and fixed. He spent two decacycles, I mean, _two months_ straight putting Jazz back together," Bluestreak explained and then added, "Decepticons…they're passionate too, just not in a good way!"

"What are some of the things you really like, Blue?"

Bluestreak got _very_ quiet then, drawing in a full amount of oxygen that seeped slowly through his intake.

Kate let out a giggle. "I'm not going to tell anyone, Blue! I promise!"

Bluestreak could feel the fluid in him rushing everywhere, pulsating through him. It was strange and exhilarating all at once. It was almost like being overcharged but without the energon to make it that way, it felt that _good_. He couldn't make any sense of it.

It astounded him whenever he looked at Kate's face smiling up at him, all he could feel were the bolts and hinges in his knees suddenly go weak and his logic circuits start to scramble unmercifully. And what was even _worse_ was that he didn't _know_ what to do about it.

_She's a human, Blue! I DO NOT have a crush on the human! Get a grip!_ He yelled at himself then.

"I like lots of…things," Bluestreak finally said trying to get his bearings to him. "You know, things like…helping fight against Starscream and getting transmissions from Prowl and all my friends back on Cybertron and making sure I beat Bumblebee in a drag race and helping around the base, you know, all those things. Oh and I like when I do a self diagnostic after getting hit by a Decepticon and it tells me that all systems are stable so Ratchet doesn't have to do any repairs on me. That's a good thing. I like them all."

Kate looked up at him. "Those are all wonderful things to like."

Bluestreak shifted his weight a little. There was so much else he wanted to tell her but how could he? Human emotions were so much like theirs but still so different. They could override their logic circuits easily, without another thought to it. Things didn't have to make sense. They thought, lived, and breathed through their beating sparks while Cybertronians were merely kept online by their sparks. Their circuitry did everything else.

"Blue, are you alright?" Kate asked him, seeing how he had gotten so quiet all of a sudden. One thing she had found out quick was how the young gunner could talk!

"I'm fine, Kate. Why?"

"I was just wondering. You just seemed like you were far off somewhere else," Kate replied.

"No. I'm alright," Bluestreak replied lightly.

Kate looked down to the time piece on her wrist. "Damn, Blue, we've been out here for two and a half hours! See what good conversation gets you?"

"You have to go?"

"Yeah. Mike wanted to meet at this new little coffee shop they just built in town. I hate coffee, but hey, we all need to live dangerously, right?" Kate said to Bluestreak, winking at him.

Bluestreak was sure his door wings had retracted backward somewhat from hearing that. Trying to hide his dismay from seeing her go, he replied shortly, "Yep."

Walking back to the base, Kate looked over to Bluestreak.

"Hey, Blue?"

"Yeah, Kate?"

"You know I think you're the biggest sweetheart I've ever met, right?"

"Yep."

If he wasn't so frickin' big, Kate would've hit him playfully in the arm but as it was, all she could do was laugh.

Heading back together, walking carefully by her side at a safe enough distance, Bluestreak followed quietly, trying to savor the last few nanoclicks he had with her.

**Author's End Notes:**

_**The Orpheus tale that Kate tells is one of my faves. Since her dialogue of telling the tale is quite long winded, I left out a few important details from the story. Since it was virtually impossible for any mortal to retrieve a soul, Orpheus knew he had to convince Hades, who in Greek mythology, had a reputation for being highly ill tempered and grouchy from having been given the underworld to rule. **_

_**Only after Orpheus charmed Charon, the boat rower to the underworld, Cerberus, the three headed guard dog, and Hades' bride herself, Persephone, was Orpheus granted his conquest.**_

_**I thought Kate telling the tale to Bluestreak would highlight the obliviousness Kate seems to have to Bluestreak's fledging "emotions".**_

_**Thanks to everyone who's reading, lurking, skimming, and leaving reviews. Please keep reading.**_

_**Cheers!**_

_**K.D.B.**_


	11. Date Night

**Chapter 10**

"You are _not_ doing it," Ratchet said to the silver Autobot, his voice in between harsh caution and worried exasperation.

Jazz grinned wickedly. "Oh yeah I am!"

"Jazz, that was a _test _yesterday. You didn't even stay in your alt mode very…"

"Stop being a broken down heap, Ratchet!" Ironhide interrupted. "If that was me, I'd want to get out there too. Being stuck in robot mode gets your hinges all stiff and rickety. You know that."

"_You _didn't spend hundreds and hundreds of megacycles in repair sessions that almost burned your digits off, Hide!" Ratchet snapped back defensively.

The three of them were walking down the entrance way that lead to the back of the base. And when they opened the steel doors, heading out to the runway that ran the entire length of the base and then some, Ratchet knew his cautious arguing with Jazz was done for when he spotted the small group of human soldiers who had gathered from their patrol duty to clap and cheer excitedly.

Off to the side, Bluestreak stood, his face saturated with a goofy, giddy grin. Next to him were Kate and Captain Lansing who were both clapping along with everyone else.

Coming over to Jazz, Bumblebee made a shrugging motion with his head toward the direction of the runway, his blue optics bright and clear.

"You ready, Jazz?"

"Man, Bee, you _know_ it!"

Transforming into his alt mode, Bumblebee drove over to the beginning of the runway a little ways up, positioning him self.

Hearing the yellow Camaro rev his engine, waiting patiently for his competitor, Jazz turned back to Ratchet, winking his optic at him.

"Time to boogie," Jazz said.

And before Ratchet's vocal processor could make another sound, Jazz transformed seamlessly, _beautifully_, into the Pontiac Solstice he had been reconfigured as, everything going into its place as if nothing had ever happened. Smooth and natural. A seasoned mech who had no qualms about his ability. Putting a hand on Ratchet's shoulder, Ironhide nodded in approval.

"You really outdid yourself this time, old friend," Ironhide said.

"Yeah, well, I just wish the others could be here to see it too," Ratchet muttered back.

Feeling the ground starting to shake and vibrate beneath them, Ironhide and Ratchet looked up at the sky. The fighter jet coming in from above did a few fancy summersaults in the sky and then transformed, his weight hitting the ground with ease as he walked over to Bluestreak.

"Let me guess. Is this Autobot fun day where you try and take yourselves offline permanently?" Thundercracker huffed.

"This is the first time for Jazz being able to be in his alt mode," Bluestreak told the Seeker proudly.

"Piffle," Thundercracker replied, his normal disdainfulness thick in his tone. "I can still out maneuver _any _of you."

Bluestreak chuckled. "In the _air_."

Tapping Ratchet in the side, Ironhide shot a quick patronizing glance in Thundercracker's direction. "Our annoying neighbor is back," Ironhide grumbled.

Ratchet laughed as he turned, surprised, seeing Optimus coming over to them, having temporarily put off his other duties to watch his second in command hit the road again.

Sometimes it really felt like forever since Ratchet had known the Autobot leader. It never ceased to amaze him nor everyone else the complete confidence Optimus always seemed to possess, no matter the situation. Even Prowl couldn't compare to his natural leadership abilities, that, although originally born from the Matrix itself, was cultivated and disciplined by Optimus himself. He embodied what truly great leaders were made of.

Every single Autobot, no matter their personality quirks, no matter the amount of bickering they did amongst themselves, _all _felt the same. But after Jazz was taken offline, Ratchet had, on more than one occasion, caught their leader outside, gazing up at the stars alone, in quiet reflection, contemplating all that he was and all that was being given for their cause.

"How is everything going, Ratchet?" Optimus asked.

Ratchet looked over to Jazz and then over to where Thundercracker was standing next to Bluestreak and the humans. Shrugging, he replied with a grin, "Given you have a Decepticon who's identity circuits are fried, a gunner who practically slips in his own puddle of energon drool from being around the human, and a second in command who was literally slagged to pieces and is now getting ready to race his aft off…I would say everything is…okay."

Optimus chuckled some to the remark, seeing the validity and irony to all of Ratchet's off handed statement. "That is certainly good to know."

Standing with Bluestreak and Captain Lansing, Kate watched as one of the soldiers came up suddenly and gave a stiff salute to his superior officer.

"Permission to officiate the race," the soldier said.

The Captain nodded, smiling, returning the salute.

"Permission granted Sgt."

And with that, the soldier headed over in between the two waiting sports cars that were gunning their engines with a rowdy enthusiasm.

"I hope you know I'm not gonna cut you any slack from you being injured," Bumblebee chuckled over to Jazz.

Inching forward a tad, throwing everything into a burnout that made his back end start to fishtail, Jazz laughed. "Ain't no shame in that game to admit you're afraid to step to this!" Jazz replied.

Seeing the human soldier's hat drop to the ground, Bumblebee laughed back some, glad to see Jazz back to his _entire _full self, as the two Autobots took off, each wanting to be the victor at the end of the runway.

* * *

Kate had really forgotten what it was like. She couldn't remember the last time she had gotten all decked out for a real date where everything had to be perfect from how her hair was styled to what color thong she was going to wear. 

But as she sat in the swanky restaurant Mike had brought her to, listening closely to him talk about the current state of affairs of the US government, she couldn't help but to feel a little on the self conscious side. Thrilled at not having to wear that restrictive arm sling anymore, Kate had chosen a low cut red dress that showed off her breasts with a sexy understated elegance. And the black suede stilettos she swore up and down would never _ever_ see her feet again, all made her look forward to going home later, putting on her pjs, and curling up on the couch.

"Politicians, they think warfare will solve everything. They have no idea how to use diplomacy. They think it's a sign of weakness…some of them at least," Mike said to her, taking a sip of the wine he had in front of him.

"Spoken like a true Republican," Kate commented, smiling.

"I don't get in with party lines," Mike said. "The two party system is failing. And it will continue to do so unless there's some sort of cohesiveness within them."

"Any man who is under 30, and is not a liberal, has not heart; and any man who is over 30, and is not a conservative, has no brains," Kate said then.

Mike raised his eyebrows up, impressed. "Churchill. One of his greatest quotes. I thought you said you hated politics."

"I do. But when I was married to David, it was like being with a senator in training the way he would go on and on. So I learned a few things from him!" Kate said laughing.

"That's something I can say I have no use for, being a politician. They're puppets. I like being on my own, doing things, traveling," Mike said.

"Traveling? Where have you been?"

"All over. I'm career military, what can I say?"

"Ever been to Asia?"

"A long time ago, in the Xi'an Shaani province, where the Terracotta Warrior statues are, got to be pretty fluent in the language, given you had no other choice!"

"You remember any of it?"

"A little."

"Like what?"

Mike thought for a minute.

"_Ni zhen piao liang_. It means, 'you are beautiful' in Cantonese."

Kate blushed furiously, as a huge smile came to her, a happy smile that felt so good.

"Now, tell me about you! I'm boring. How is it that you met you the Autobots? We've tried as much as possible to keep everything under wraps, but I think it's slowly getting out…don't know how that's going to go over when it does though. Some humans, well, just aren't ready to deal with things like that," Mike said.

"Yeah, I know," Kate replied. "I almost freaked out when I first saw Bluestreak. I didn't know what to think. I couldn't move. I was taking Maggie swimming in the lake across town and he just came out of nowhere. It was something else, let me tell you!"

"Bluestreak? He's the one who talks a mile a minute, right?"

"Yep, that's him!"

"He's very personable, although the one they call Ironhide, I don't think cares for me too much!"

"Yeah, they are all really neat. There are some humans out there that could learn a few things about personality from them!" Kate exclaimed.

"You do know Bluestreak has a crush on you, don't you?" Mike asked then, grinning.

Taking a sip of her water, Kate felt it go down the wrong way, as she started coughing from the remark.

"A crush? I doubt that. He's just an upbeat sort of being. Perky. That's not a crush," Kate replied.

"I think you would be surprised, Kate. They are extraordinary beings, extremely intelligent but at the same time very sensitive and intuitive to each other, their surroundings, and to us humans. I've never seen anything quite like it," Mike replied.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean one of them has a crush on me," Kate said pointedly.

"Okay, maybe 'crush' was the wrong word…let's just say he is _extremely _fond of you…just like I am," Mike said to her softly.

Kate gave him another radiant smile which faded some when she heard his cell phone suddenly ring. Sighing some, Mike answered it apprehensively.

"Yes, Captain Lansing."

"Uh huh. Okay. Are you sure this can't wait until morning?"

"Yes, alright. Understood. Thank you."

Turning his eye back to Kate, Mike gave her a weary look that said this was not a part of his plans for the evening.

"I'm really sorry, Kate."

"Gotta go back to the base?"

"Yes. I've got some reports to send over to the President's office. Can't get out of that one!"

"Well, how about you just take me back to the base and I'll stop and see Bluestreak, since you know, how he has a _crush_ on me, and I'll just have him take me home. I haven't seen him in about a week anyway. I'm sure he'll enjoy the company," Kate said nonchalantly.

Mike nodded then. "Deal."

* * *

Hearing a slight clicking on the floor, Jazz looked up from the diagrams he had been looking over, his optics starting to criss cross from it. 

"Oooh, baby girl!" he exclaimed to Kate as he saw her approaching. "You look mighty fine. Date with the Captain?"

Kate laughed. "Yeah, it got cut a little short. I came by to see if Blue's here. Thought I'd give him some company."

"I don't know bout' that…he sees you lookin' like that and he's liable to have a neural circuit split in half!"

Jazz motioned down the corridor. "I think he's still in his quarters. Just head on down there."

"Thanks, Jazz!" Kate said and then headed off in the direction Jazz pointed to.

* * *

"Slag!" Bluestreak muttered to him self. 

He was sitting at his desk, having pushed his personal laptop aside, trying desperately to assemble a sensor that would allow detection of a spark extractor from a regular weapon. But from his clumsiness, the homemade screwdriver he had made, in the event he ever needed to do minor repairs to himself if Ratchet wasn't around, slipped out of his fingers and fell on the floor.

_That's it! I'm having Ironhide do it! I…_

"Blue?"

Almost stumbling to get to his feet, Bluestreak's auditory sensors perked up. _Her voice. Here._ He hadn't seen her for almost a week and it just ate at him. He knew she was busy with her job and now, with the new interest the Captain had taken in her, Bluestreak didn't want to impose. But as he opened the door to let her in, all he could feel was that same crazy rush go through his systems.

"Are you busy? I thought I'd stop by to see you," Kate said.

Bluestreak's optics looked her over, his olfactory sensors picking up something sweet and aromatic, a type of human pheromone maybe?

_Primus please help me. I DO NOT have a crush on the human. I DO NOT have a crush on the human, _Bluestreak told himself, trying to keep as calm as he possibly could from seeing how pleasing she was to his optics and that _scent_…it was enough to make him run screaming down the corridor from the burning frustration of not knowing what the slag was happening to him.

"Hi," Bluestreak said to her weakly.

Kate smiled. "Hi yourself!"

"Did you and the Captain go out? Because you look…um…you look…different…from what you normally look like…not that you look bad…I'm not saying that. I just think you look different."

Kate laughed at his silliness. "We were at dinner and he got a call to come back here. You wouldn't mind giving me a ride home later, would you?"

"No…nope, wouldn't mind that at all."

"Good! Then I'm staying here for a bit!"

* * *

Normally doing any kind of concentrating for Bluestreak was difficult. He was wired to excessively to be anything else. He never denied that fact nor did it ever really bother him but as he sat at his desk trying to finish his project, seeing Kate lying on his recharge bed next to him, it was virtually impossible. 

Lying on her back, her legs stretched out, she looked tinier than what she already was, not seeming to mind the lack of cushioning beneath her. For once, Bluestreak was quiet, listening to her go on about how she was stressed out at work and wanted to physically do damage to her female boss (which Bluestreak couldn't imagine Kate doing), how Maggie ate a sock over the week and then tried to pass it through her digestive system, and the new action movie she wanted to get around to seeing.

All of it went in one auditory sensor and out the other. All his logic circuits kept pondering was how she _smelled_ as now his _entire_ quarters smelled like her as well.

_Bee is never going to let me live it down_! Bluestreak groaned to him self as he tried one more time to tighten the sensor, getting the same results as before as the screw driver hit the floor with a sharp _clink_.

Hopping off of his recharge bed, Kate piped up, "I'll get it!"

Picking up the tool, which was about the size of half a baseball bat, Kate went to hand it to Bluestreak who had stood up, but as he went to take it from her, Kate put it behind her back, laughing.

"Ha! You can't get it!" she laughed.

Bluestreak giggled playfully at her. "You know I could just squash you flat and then I'd get it back, so there!"

"That sounds like too much of a mess to clean up," Kate said.

He went to reach for it again, being very careful not to step really close to her but she held it above her head instead, sticking her tongue out at him.

Laughing uncontrollably, Kate knelt down on the floor, trying to duck from his hand grabbing it any further.

"Alright, if you're gonna make me come down to your level, I'll do it!" Bluestreak said.

"You're too big! How much is this tool worth to you anyways, Blue?"

"I'll show you," Bluestreak said and before he knew it, before he really had any time to reconsider, he had taken his hands and as gently as he could, pulled Kate's legs out from underneath her, making her lie on her back, staring up at him as he bent down over her, taking care not to crush her beneath him.

Dizzy and swirling, that's how it felt. Like being on air but standing still. Feeling every single circuit, compressor, and O-ring start to overheat, Bluestreak's optics stared deeply into Kate's eyes as she dropped the screwdriver next to her. They were wide and never ending, a settling peace set on an untouchable plane he wanted so bad to get to. Human, Cybertronian, none if it made a slaggin' difference to him then. Bumblebee was right, _oh was he ever._ Bluestreak _did _have a crush on Kate and as he stared into her eyes, trying to process what they held, he felt sure the feeling was mutual, even though he didn't know what the feeling was _actually called._

Carefully, slowly, having played it out in his logic circuits time and time again, Bluestreak took his finger tips and softly touched her cheek, the warmth of her body registering wondrously through him, rippling through his system like a highly potent elixir Bluestreak wanted to stay high on. He had never touched a human before, not like _this, _as he found their bodies way too fragile for him to deal with.

Beneath him, Kate laid still, not budging, her breaths coming in deep. Half stunned, half in awe, she watched as Bluestreak continued down her cheek softly, shyly, his fingertips reaching her neck and then slowly traveling down, in between her breasts, ever so lightly, a gentle caress that was unsure and unaware of what it meant.

"Blue…"

"Hmm?"

_Primus, she was soft! Like petals flowing in the wind_. He could've left his digits on her for an entire solar cycle if it meant the same feeling of euphoria rushing through his entire CPU.

"Blue…I…I…"

Wiggling underneath him, Kate tried to get to her feet.

"Blue, I think I should get going…_home_," Kate said to him her tone uncharacteristically firm.

Blinking his optics at her, Bluestreak looked at her face and saw something written on it he couldn't decipher. But as she stood up quietly, adjusting the garment she was wearing, her eyes averted from his optics, Bluestreak started to get the sinking feeling he had done something horribly wrong.

"Kate…I…I…I'm s-sorry," Bluestreak stammered weakly.

Silence.

"Kate?"

More silence, as if she was thinking. Whatever it was, Bluestreak wasn't sure if he wanted to hear it.

_Why? Why did I have to get near her? Why did I have to touch her? I didn't have to touch her! I should've left her alone, let her keep that slaggin' tool!_ Bluestreak thought frantically.

"Kate, please…I…just…j-just…I wasn't going to hurt you."

"Blue," Kate started and then stopped, taking a huge breath in.

_Why won't she look at me? _Bluestreak thought, feeling everything inside him go from euphoria to a dead fear, the same fear he had tried so hard to run from in the past.

"I…I think it would be a…a good idea if maybe we kind of took a break from…each other, you know…not hang out…for a little bit," Kate finally said, looking at the floor.

"I'm so sorry," Bluestreak said pitifully. "I didn't mean to do something to make you uncomfortable. I thought…I thought maybe…I don't know what I thought…I just thought maybe you…you…" he stopped then, realizing the more he tried to get everything out, the more it was eluding him.

"I'm going to go. I'll ask Jazz to take me home," Kate said to him quietly.

He was breaking apart inside, Bluestreak was sure of it. He wished so bad he had a time warp gadget, to undo the horrifying disaster he had inadvertedly caused. And now all he could do was watch, just like all the times before of trying to escape his past, feeling totally helpless, unable to stop the disaster from unfolding into a barren wasteland of hurt and regret.

Bluestreak stood silently, as Kate headed to his door and walked out, without so much as another glance in his direction, her heels becoming muffled sounds as she drifted further and further away.


	12. Denial and Precision Marksmanship

**Chapter 11**

Kate looked at the clock that was sitting next to the bed. It was almost three in the morning and she had to work in less than four hours. She lay there, on her back, trying to get the lyrics from that damn song out of her head that she had heard on the radio the other day.

"_And I would be the one/ To hold you down/ Kiss you so hard/ I'll take your breath away…"_

Turning on her side, Kate saw Mike next to her, snoring away. And as she lay there, in his bed, in his home, all Kate could do was _think_. It was only a few hours ago when he had been inside her, in between her thighs, her legs wrapped around him, moving in perfect rhythm to a sweet harmony that had left the both of them breathless. And when their climax hit together, beads of sweat coming off their bodies, Kate felt as if she had suddenly been woken alive with a rampant passion she had thought died some time ago.

But the intimate coupling Kate had just experienced still wasn't enough to sway her mind away from what had been at the back of it for a month now.

_That evening…in Bluestreak's quarters, on the floor, her lying beneath him, his finger tips tracing an idle path on her body…_

Kate hadn't been back to the Autobot base since then. She was trying though, _really, really_ trying to keep herself occupied so she didn't have to think about it. Since meeting the young gunner, Kate hadn't really done much of anything else, having turned down a few invites to hang out with a few girlfriends from work, who seemed overly concerned about her since the alleged "car jacking" they thought had happened to her awhile back.

And when she finally did go out with them, sitting around, listening to their mindless gossip about their husbands, children, and life in general, Kate's mind would always find her thoughts drifting to the brightly hued blue Autobot who had once brought Maggie the best retrieving toys around.

Lying there silently, Kate could hear Mike's soft breathing next to her, a slow relaxation she would've given anything to have right then and there as her own.

Closing her eyes, Kate saw it.

_His fingertips…tracing…her lying beneath with nothing but a refined, delicate tenderness above her that no human touch could've ever come close to…and the look on his face staring down…_

It had broadsided her. She wasn't prepared for it. And it scared her. _Out of her mind._

Looking up at Bluestreak's optics that evening, Kate had been frozen with a tiny, minute fear of not knowing what he was going to do or what he _wanted _to do, forgetting he was a being from another solar system. It wasn't the type of fear where he was going to _harm_ her, but rather, what he might've been _capable_ of to set her free and unravel her soul from all the hurt and anguish floating deep within.

Running it over in her mind, Kate wondered what Sigmund Freud and Alfred Kinsey would've said about it all. She imagined their diagnoses saying how unnatural it was for a human being to feel such strong desire for anything outside of their own species, especially a species that wasn't even organic in nature.

And Kate knew she felt _something_ for the sensitive, talkative gunner, something that went beyond talking about star constellations and Greek mythology. She knew it the moment his fingertips touched the middle of her chest, as a surge of electrifying emotion ran through her body from the deepest depths of places Kate thought no one could reach. But in that moment, lying beneath Bluestreak, nearly pinned down to the floor, she was _more_ than willing to show him _everything_ without another care or thought.

And after reading the unmistakable vulnerability and _longing_ on the young Autobot's face, Kate knew _he wanted the same_.

It wasn't logical. It wasn't natural. It wasn't _right_. Bluestreak wasn't even human. What could he possibly do for her?

Kate had been there once, stumbling blindly through a wildfire, hoping to avoid the flames that had only left her burned and eternally scarred. Never again would she go through that. _Never._

But Kate knew herself all too well. She was weak. If only Bluestreak _knew_…knew just how bad she wanted to take the fall from grace that evening and let it all go, thanking the lord above on the way down as she did it.

No, there wasn't any other way about it.

She _had_ to stay away from him.

* * *

Sitting by himself at the circular meeting table that sat in the middle of the command center, Bluestreak was trying to attach the sensor onto his gun that would let him distinguish a Decepticon weapon from a spark extractor. Everyone had been working on their own device for the past month, but it seemed Bluestreak just wasn't coming along as well as everyone else, seeing how he was the only one out of the group who hadn't finished his.

"Blast this slaggin' piece of scrap!" Bluestreak blurted out, frustrated beyond belief.

Bumblebee came over to his comrade and smiled some. "Need some help there, Blue? I think all you have to do is connect the…"

"I'm fine!" Bluestreak snapped.

Trying to shrug off the biting remark, Bumblebee said slowly, "Alright…suit yourself. I was just trying to help."

Walking back over to Ratchet and Jazz, Bumblebee made a sighing noise and then went back to uploading some data that had come through from Prowl back on Cybertron.

"What's up Blue's tailpipe? He's been really testy these past few weeks. Did someone mess with his energon?" Bumblebee asked, turning to the other two senior officers.

"Human trouble," Ratchet muttered back, giving Jazz a knowing look.

"You mean Kate? You know, I haven't seen her around in quite awhile. I asked him the other day where she's been and he just about jumped down my drive train!" Bumblebee said.

Hearing another frustrated "Slag!" coming from the table, Jazz watched as Bluestreak finally threw the sensor down, breaking parts off as he did it. And as Jazz heard the mech make his way down the corridor, punching whatever wall was nearby to vent, he knew what he had to do.

"I'll be back guys," Jazz said.

* * *

"Hey Blue!"

Bluestreak kept on walking. He wasn't in the mood to talk. He wasn't in the mood to build. He just wanted to stay ticked off.

"Blue, c'mon, buddy!"

Stopping, he heard Jazz come up behind as Bluestreak turned around to face him.

"What?" Bluestreak said sullenly.

"Ya can't keep doing this, Blue."

"Jazz…I really don't wanna…"

"Somethin's jammin' your processors. C'mon on now. Talk to me."

"It's nothing."

"Hey…it's alright to open up every now and then," Jazz said softly. "We've been through a lot together, Blue. You know I've got your back and that you can count on me, if you need someone to talk to, right?"

Bluestreak looked away then, not wanting Jazz to see the hurt brimming in his optics. Every nanocycle it seemed, he thought about her, that evening, what he did, how she told him she didn't want to be around him anymore.

But despite that, Bluestreak knew Jazz was right, that he could count on him. Everyone else razed him about Kate, but he knew Jazz would really listen. Out of all the Autobots, Bluestreak felt the most closest with Optimus and Prowl, but maybe more so with Jazz. He never made fun when Bluestreak talked to him, just sat patiently and listened.

Touching Bluestreak lightly, remembering how sensitive he was, Jazz sighed. He knew _something _had happened that night with Kate when he took her home. And judging from the next few days that had followed after, how the young gunner would only recharge in the med bay and not in his own quarters, Jazz guessed it had to be something big.

"Blue, what happened, with Kate that night?" Jazz asked lightly, not wanting to push him unnecessarily. "Something happened, didn't it?"

Bluestreak nodded slowly.

"It's okay, Blue."

"Kate…that night…she came to visit me…I was trying to get that sensor together and I dropped my screwdriver and she started playing keep away with it and I thought it was funny and…and…I pulled her beneath me, gently…I didn't hurt her, I swear…she just laid there and stared up at me…and I put my fingertips to her and touched her…I just wanted to see what she felt like…because she's so…so…nice…and I thought that it was okay…to you know…touch her," Bluestreak finally said, his words coming out even more quicker and hurried than usual.

"Ahh, Blue boy…you've got it so bad, don't you?" Jazz said then, grinning.

Bluestreak looked down at the floor. "She told me she didn't think we should hang out anymore. I didn't mean to do it, Jazz! She just smelled really nice…and…when she smiles at me…I just don't know what to do…"

"You care for her deeply. There's nothing wrong with that. Let's you know your spark is still online!" Jazz said.

"Blue," Jazz said to him, seeing how the young gunner was so torn up.

Bluestreak looked away, trying to hide the pain.

"Hey, look at me, Blue," Jazz said a little more firmly, grabbing his chin, reminding him of the early days when he use to have to sit with him to try and calm him down.

"It's _okay_ to care for someone that deep. It's okay if you feel really good around her. And it's okay if you don't know what to do," Jazz said, looking the gunner square in the optic and then continued. "Kate probably just got a little scared. I mean, look at us! We're huge, right? It probably surprised her, caught her off guard. I'm sure she knows you weren't meaning to hurt her. I've seen her with you and how she is. She digs you, Blue! Humans are more complex than we are when it comes to relationships. And that's okay. Give her some time. It'll smooth out. I know it."

Bluestreak stood, his optics staring at the ground. He wanted to believe Jazz, he really did.

"C'mon, get your bad self over here," Jazz said, putting an arm around his shoulders. "It's gonna be alright, okay? Don't worry."

Bluestreak nodded slowly.

"Good, now let's get that sensor of yours together!" Jazz piped up.

* * *

Captain Lansing didn't look thrilled at all. Rather, he looked quite worried but he knew if the Autobot leader thought it was the best decision, he would respect it. After all, they _were_ here protecting the earth.

"Are you sure? I can have my men ready to go in half an hour and an air support team ready in fifteen minutes. Just say the word," the Captain said.

Standing at the entry way doors to the Autobot base, looking out to the sunlight, Optimus and the Captain stood together, two very different commanders bound by something so common.

"I appreciate your commitment but I am going to have to decline. This is something we Cybertronians must take care of. We can not endanger the innocent lives of any more humans than needed. That is what Starscream wants," Optimus replied.

"You ever think you might run for President of this country some day?" the Captain asked, smiling.

The Autobot leader grinned back. "No, but I will keep it in mind."

The Captain laughed then and then watched as Optimus stood in front of the entire Autobot crew who had been waiting.

"Ratchet, I want you to stay here. There serves no purpose in our chief medic being potentially injured as well," Optimus said.

"Permission to speak freely," Ratchet said.

"Yes?"

"I'm not letting you go out there with those Cons having those spark extractors and I'm not there with you," Ratchet replied truthfully. "Besides, with me we'll out number them."

Optimus nodded then. "Then let it be."

"Autobots, we have come to a very perilous course of action. Starscream's never ending lust for power has made him create one of the most dangerous weapons we could ever encounter. Engage all of them aggressively. They will not be lenient with us and neither shall we with them!"

"Transform and roll out!"

* * *

"Sensors say we're getting close, Optimus. This is definitely the spot," Jazz said as they drove along the dirt road, deep into the rocky cannons.

"Autobots, stay on alert!" Optimus announced.

Toward the end of the caravan, Bumblebee called out, "I'm reading an energy signal that looks like it's directly…"

Out of nowhere, from beneath the earth, a massive, wicked looking robotic scorpion burst upward through the ground, grabbing Bumblebee and pinning him to the ground, pinchers flailing wildly to take off any extremity it could. From the death grip Scorponok held onto him, trying to crush every piece of metal on his body, Bumblebee was trying desperately to transform out of his alt mode but couldn't.

Transforming, itching and ready for a good fight (was he ever!), Ironhide drew out both of his cannons and fired directly onto Scorponok's head, his cannon fire echoing deafeningly throughout the canyons around them, the plasma rays tearing right into Scorponok.

Suddenly, the roar of jet engines and helicopter rotors could be heard as the rest of the Autobots quickly transformed, drawing out their weapons, prepared for whatever lie ahead.

Seeing the Decepticon's lone road warrior, Barricade, heading toward them from around a bend, Optimus commanded, "Everyone, spread out now!"

"Bluestreak, the fliers!" Optimus yelled.

Targeting his shoulder cannons, Bluestreak fired. _One, two. _But the two F-22 Raptors were having none of it and dodged them brilliantly, doing acrobatic aerial combat moves that would make a human fighter pilot want to turn in his wings. Returning fire happily, they released a barrage of missiles toward the gunner, as he dove for cover trying to shield his head from all the exploding rock the missiles hit.

As Barricade transformed, the Decepticon leapt directly onto Optimus in mid air. Shaking the ground violently from their landing, Optimus fired his gun rapidly into the police car's chest, while the other Autobots were still trying to bring down the three fliers. The latter was proving to be anything but easy from the highly agile and skilled moves Starscream and Skywarp were doing interchangeably.

Retreating back a little bit, Barricade watched as his fellow Decepticon fliers dove in deep towards the Autobot leader.

"_All firepower on Optimus!" _Starscream commanded.

"Autobots, fire at will!" Optimus yelled out.

Positioning himself, Bluestreak's internal computer locked on to its targets. "_Target acquired. System locked."_ And this time, he _did _not miss, watching both cannons take out the back rotor on Blackout _and_ the main one as well.

"Yeehawwww!!!!" Bluestreak let out seeing his handiwork.

But before anymore rejoicing could be done, Starscream and Skywarp both released a furry of heat sinking missiles, sidewinders, and an arsenal of bullets on Optimus who had leapt in the air, managing to grab Starscream's wing bringing the Decepticon leader down as well as a huge chunk of metal.

Aiming directly at Starscream, the rest of the Autobots fired but Starscream took off for the sky again, turning around to fire again.

"JAZZ!!!" Bluestreak screamed.

Seeing the missile heading directly for Jazz, Bluestreak dove over to him, pushing the silver Autobot out of the way as he felt a burning, ripping sensation. Falling onto the ground, Bluestreak took his hands and felt underneath his armor, seeing brown liquid all over them.

"Blue!" Jazz shouted.

Quickly, Ratchet and Jazz both were at the gunner's side as Optimus, Ironhide, and Bumblebee tried to give cover fire for their injured comrade.

"Blue, can you hear me?" Ratchet asked as he pulled out a portable soddering tool to try and stop the hemorrhaging.

Bluestreak nodded.

Suddenly though, another jet was heard in the sky and when Bluestreak and the others looked up, they saw Thundercracker, swooping in with a vengeance, nose first toward Starscream. The two Decepticons swooped and circled, transforming into robot mode as they punched and fired on each other furiously in the sky and then transformed back into alt mode, circling and passing each other.

Transforming back into robot mode, and more interested in the traitor before him than any Autobot, Starscream who along with Skywarp, grabbed Thundercracker from the sky and forced him to the ground.

Seeing Barricade, Blackout, and Scorponok all seriously injured, Starscream ignored them as he stepped in front of his former comrade with Skywarp restraining him.

"_Kneel, traitor. Kneel before your master and your death!"_

"Kiss my grey new aft, Screamer!" Thundercracker shouted at him.

Hearing Skywarp's arm missiles heating up behind him, Thundercracker stood still.

"Kneel, TC. NOW!" Skywarp hissed.

Starscream let out an evil maniacal laugh as he saw Thundercracker get to his knees.

"_I was going to save this for a lucky Autobot, but I have to say I will thoroughly and completely enjoy watching you scream in pain first as I extract your spark and take your treacherous grey new aft offline permanently!"_

"Try again, Starscream!" Optimus yelled out to the Decepticon leader.

Seeing Starscream pull out his spark extractor from a ways, Bluestreak suddenly got to his feet, hydraulic and compression fluid leaking everywhere, and along with Optimus and the others, fired what little power he had left, straight at Starscream's hand, hitting the weapon effortlessly from his precision marksmanship.

And as Starscream hit the sky in total retreat, the rest of the injured Decepticons following, Bluestreak stumbled backward, collapsing. The ground below was being painted with leaking fluid, as fleeting pictures of Kate and reaching out to touch her once again flashed through his logics, his optics closing.

_**Musical Credit/Reference: **_

"_**Possession" Recorded and written by Sarah McGlaughlin**_

_**Author's End Notes:**_

_**While most of you have probably heard of Sigmund Freud and his work concerning the ego, id, etc. it is worth noting that the scientist Kate mentions, Alfred Kinsey, was also a famous psychologist/zoologist who wrote a detailed and highly controversial study on human sexuality called, "The Kinsey Report." In it he challenged notions on all types of sexual behaviors including homosexuality and incest. I have not read it in depth but thought the reference in this story was fitting.**_

_**Given the struggle Kate feels towards Bluestreak, her mentioning Kinsey fits in with the "oddity" of the situation she is in.**_

_**To everyone who has been leaving such enthusiastic reviews, thank you so much. You have no idea how much it means to me. I'm not a regular writer of fanfic and was very nervous to put this up and about my ability to tell a story that would not only be entertaining but well constructed.**_

_**K.D.B.**_


	13. Renunion

**Chapter 12**

Kate sat at her computer in her back bedroom, typing furiously, trying to update the diary she had started awhile ago. Next to her feet, Maggie slept, making little crying noises every now and then, her paws twitching from trying to get the squirrel in her dreams.

Taking a quick sip of her Pepsi, Kate set the glass down and then continued to type.

"_I am at a crossroad in my life it seems right now. Mike is beyond wonderful. He possesses a subtle enigma around him that radiates warmth and compassion, even for the soldiers he is in charge of. It makes me think that if is he that wonderful with them, how he will treat me as well. I once had thought the same about David, I must admit, was so sure of it that I could've given my life for him, but I guess life is meant to keep you guessing. _

_But it is my never ending struggle of trying to figure out my relationship with the Autobot Bluestreak that I can not figure out. Maybe it's not supposed to be figured out. Maybe it's just supposed to be. I don't know. I asked my mother once what love was when I was a teenager. She said it was caring about someone else's well being more than your own. I wonder if that same word can be applied to how I feel about Blue. _

_I further wonder if I would be able to get the words out to ever tell him after everything that's happened between us and if he would understand its meaning. Perhaps I will never know. All I know is that when I am around him, I feel as the John Mayer song goes, "Bigger Than My Body," like every human aspect of myself is magnified and…,"_

Suddenly, the phone rang, pulling Kate out of her thought train. Cursing herself for not going ahead and putting a phone in that back room, Kate headed downstairs to the living room. At almost nine o'clock in the evening, Kate knew it was probably Mike calling to say a quick hi. If anything came out of being married to an attorney, it was learning to deal with the long hours that came with the job.

"Hello?"

"Kate?"

"Hey, Mike. Long night?"

"Yeah, really long."

"Are we still going away this weekend? I've gotta know because I have to make arrangements with the kennel for Maggie and…"

"Kate, Bluestreak's been injured."

She gripped the phone tightly.

"What happened? Is he okay?"

"The Autobot crew came under heavy Decepticon fire a little bit ago. Bluestreak took a major hit to several of his core processors."

"You didn't answer me, Mike. _Is he alright?"_

A slight pause and then a sigh.

"No…he was hemorrhaging severely when they brought him back."

Silence.

"Kate?"

More silence.

"Kate, sweetie…you still there?"

Hanging up the phone, Kate grabbed her car keys, forgetting her purse, and jumped into her car not even remembering if she locked her house up or not.

* * *

"RIGHT THERE!" Racthet yelled impatiently, pointing.

Giving Ironhide an annoyed look, Ratchet grabbed the blow torch from the weapons specialist and peered down into Bluestreak's chest that held a huge gaping hole and massive amounts of circuitry exposed.

Feverishly welding a major compressor coil together, Ratchet did another laser scan as he felt inside Bluestreak's chest cavity.

"_Spark diminishing. Core processor shutting down."_

"NO! Kid, don't do this! I just spent the last two decacycles putting Jazz back together, I am NOT doing it with you! Now start pumping!" Ratchet yelled down to Bluestreak who was hooked up to a monitoring system for his core vitals.

Seeing the root of the problem finally, Ratchet called out, "Hide, help me clamp that distributor hose off!" Ratchet said.

And as soon as Ironhide took the metal forceps to hold the hose, Ratchet started tying it off and then quickly grabbed the blow torch again to seal another compression coil that was busted wide open.

"_Spark stable. Core processor stabilizing_."

"Primus!" Ratchet exclaimed as he exhaled a relieved sigh. "That was _way _too close for me."

Turning to the others who had all gathered outside in the corridor, including Optimus and Thundercracker, Ratchet sighed heavily.

"I got his CPU stable," the medic told everyone solemnly.

"Man, Blue saved my hide…" Jazz said softly.

Optimus put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "That is a sacrifice he is more than willing to make. He is a courageous fighter beyond a doubt."

Everyone nodded in soft agreement. Even Thundercracker stayed silent.

"Let me get everyone else looked out in the command center. I just want Blue to rest right now. The external patch job on him will be nothing," Ratchet said to everyone.

"Optimus, permission to stay with Blue?" Jazz asked then.

Optimus nodded. "Granted."

Watching everyone else head down the corridor, the silver second in command went into the med bay to look in on his injured comrade.

* * *

The Deception standing in the corridor looked heavy with concern, Kate was sure of it. And as she inched closer down the corridor to the med bay where Bluestreak was, she saw Thundercracker, in the door way, watching silently.

The thirty minute drive to the base had felt like a year to Kate as she dodged around cars and semis. Why did it always seem when there was an emergency that everyone else forgot what an accelerator was to move their asses?

Trying to catch her breath from having practically run through the base, Kate rushed up next to the Seeker and stared. On a stainless steel table inside the med bay was Bluestreak, hooked up to a computer system that was monitoring his spark output, the damage heavy to the front of him. Nearby, Jazz was standing quietly next to the table.

"Is he alright?" Kate asked her voice small.

Thundercracker looked down to her, narrowing his optics and then looked back at Bluestreak.

"Stable. For now."

"Is it okay…if I go in there?"

Thundercracker shrugged. "Whatever, I guess."

Seeing Thundercracker turn to head out to the command center, Kate looked in his direction with something she'd wanted to know. Glancing back at Bluestreak who was still resting, Kate called out to Thundercracker who had his back to her.

"'That night…when you brought me here…why?" she asked.

Thundercracker stopped abruptly, not even bothering to turn around. He sighed then, a burdened sigh Kate thought might've held so much weight to it.

"Cuz it was the right thing to do," came his reply, his voice low.

And without another word, the Seeker continued on down the hallway.

* * *

Jazz stood silently. Of all the mechs he had ever known, Jazz didn't think he had met such a fighter, emotional circuit and physical wise, as Bluestreak. He knew the young gunner fought with the Autobots to keep his demons from surfacing and taking him back to that dark place they had originally found him in. It amazed Jazz how he pushed them aside to do whatever job was given to him, all the while doing it with an upbeat cheerful attitude. And in Jazz's mind, _that _kind of courage was beyond brave. It was exceptional and _rare_.

Hearing soft foot steps behind him, Jazz turned and saw her, standing there, her eyes wide with uncertainty and deep concern.

"Hey girlie," He said quietly "Long time no see?"

Kate smiled lightly. "Mike called me," she said back, looking at Bluestreak. "He said he was hurt, badly."

"Yeah…yeah, he was. Ratchet managed to stop the hemorrhaging."

"He fought bravely today?"

Jazz nodded solemnly. "That he did, Kate."

Seeing the distress on her, Jazz said, "I'm gonna give you some time alone with him. I think Blue would want that."

Smiling graciously back, Kate walked up to the table as Jazz headed out. Looking down at Bluestreak laying there, in whatever dreamland he was in, seeing the extensive damage he had sustained, Kate's eyes filled with sorrowful tears, remembering how he had been so torn up over her being injured that one night awhile ago.

"Blue, I know you can't hear me, but I'm here for you," Kate whispered to him.

Taking his one fingertip, she held it carefully, wishing so bad he could return the gesture.

* * *

"Kate?"

Bluestreak was sure he had heard her, there with him. But as he sat up, seeing Ratchet closing up the front of his armor, Bluestreak was dismayed at seeing it must've been a dream after all.

"Blue, either you lay down or…"

"I thought I heard Kate!"

"I don't give a slag if you heard little femme drones telling you to stuff your exhaust system. LAY DOWN!"

Nodding, Bluestreak laid back down as he was told, feeling Ratchet continue his work.

"Now, you're going to be extremely sore for a little bit here, so Optimus told me to let you know you won't be going out on any missions for a few solar cycles…not that you would be wanting to sit around the base or anything…given how Kate has been here since you were injured," Ratchet said slyly, a small grin emitting across him.

Seeing Bluestreak start to sit up again, Ratchet quickly snapped at the gunner, "You do it and I'll rearrange your core processor!"

Grinning happily, Bluestreak laid back down, almost unable to contain his excitement at seeing her again.

* * *

He hadn't seen her at all. He knew Ratchet wouldn't have lied to him. Bluestreak didn't think there was anything wrong with his auditory sensors. He was positive he had heard the medic say Kate was here, at the base, for him.

Totally worn out from the battle itself and the intensive repair job, Bluestreak headed down the corridor to his quarters slowly, still tender around his healing wounds. He was looking forward to a good nights recharge like never before.

"Hi Blue," a voice called out behind him.

Bluestreak didn't think he had ever heard anything as splendid as he did hearing Kate' voice. Turning around to face her, his memory circuits having kept grand detailed records of how she looked and smiled, Bluestreak stood still, waiting for her to _approach_ him.

"I had some errands to run today after work. Maggie won't eat by herself! Otherwise, I would've been here a lot earlier," Kate said grinning.

She looked him over, seeing how the gaping hole from before was nowhere to be found.

"Wow, Ratchet did a wonderful job!"

Bluestreak grinned and ran his fingers over where the injury had been.

"Optimus said I have to stay on the base for awhile, until I'm all healed. I think it's just Ratchet though. Ever since that whole thing with Jazz, it's kind of made him over protective."

"That's what makes a good doctor," Kate replied.

"Are you busy?" She asked him then. "I didn't know you if you were heading to do something in particular."

"I was just going to head into my quarters," Bluestreak said.

"You want me to come in there with you?" Kate asked softly.

An awkward silence then.

"I…I…d-don't know if that's such a good idea," Bluestreak stammered back solemnly.

Kate frowned a little, nodding.

"Oh…yeah, you're probably right."

Backing up some, Kate looked around, uneasy. "I'm glad you're okay. I'll let you get going."

_No, no, no! Please don't leave!_ Bluestreak thought. Racking his logic circuits for something to say before she vanished again, he said the only thing that came to him.

"I've missed you so bad, Kate. I've thought about you every nanoclick practically. I wondered what you were doing, if Maggie ate another sock…I tried not thinking about it, but I couldn't help it."

Kate stared up at him, her mouth not moving. But Bluestreak didn't care. He had to get everything out.

"I'm so, so, so sorry…for what happened…for touching you…that night…my two friends back on Cybertron, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, they're always telling me how I don't think things through sometimes before doing them…I can't help it. It's just they way I am but I never meant to have you think I was going to hurt you. I would _never_ hurt you, Kate."

Suddenly then, he saw Kate's eyes start to flood. And as he saw the fluid drip from her eyes, Bluestreak had half a circuit to take his gun out and shoot himself in the chest for ever being the cause of making her cry.

"You don't know…" Kate said softly to him, barely above a whisper.

She took a breath in. "You don't know what it's like, Blue."

"What? I don't understand."

"How I feel…about you, what it's like."

Bluestreak looked down at Kate, hurt. "That's not fair Kate. That is _not_ fair. Just because I'm not human…"

"That's not what I meant," Kate quickly cut him off. "You don't know what it's like feeling something and not being able to have it…knowing you're more bonded with someone who is totally different from you and never being able to be with them."

She started wiping the fluid from her eyes then, turning away from him.

"Kate?"

She looked up at Bluestreak.

"I _do_ know. I know exactly how it feels," he told her softly.

He stood there, thinking it over carefully, what he was about to say next.

"Would you still like to…come with me inside my quarters?"

Kate smiled brightly.

"I'd love to."

* * *

Kate giggled uncontrollably. She was sitting next to Bluestreak on his recharge bed, listening to him tell stories about his friends back on Cybertron.

"What did Prowl do?" She asked him.

"Well, after he saw Sunstreaker had sprayed "Kick me" on the back of him, Prowl just said 'I will return the prank' as calm as can be, no smile, no laugh, nothing."

"Did he?"

"Oh yeah. Did he ever! Everyone always thinks Prowl is such a circuit in the mud, but he got Sunny real good. He waited a long time to do it too so that Sunny would forget Prowl was still going to retaliate. So one night when Sunny was recharging after having almost passed out from another energon drinking binge, Prowl snuck into Sunny's quarters and spray painted him hot pink! And to make it worse, Decepticon forces did a surprise attack right after that and Sunny didn't have to wash it off so he went into battle with that color on him! I don't know what was better, watching Sunny get all worked up or seeing Megatron's and the other Decepticons faces when they saw him!"

Kate laughed, trying to picture a very male Autobot colored a very female coloring.

Lying back on his recharge bed, Bluestreak sighed, putting his hands on his chest lightly.

"You miss them, don't you?" Kate said, turning her body to look at him as he stared up at the ceiling.

Bluestreak nodded.

"Yeah, I do. They're my family. I know they'll be here soon. I talk to Prowl a lot through the transmissions we send but it's not the same as doing it face to face. I'll introduce you to him when he gets here and to everyone else too! Optimus says it's going to take time to get the Peace Council worked out."

"Seems like earth government and Cybertronian government aren't so different, huh?" Kate asked.

Bluestreak grinned at her as he felt that same hold take over him, even more so now stemming from the temporary separation they had just been through. Every sore component, hinge, and part wanted to just take her and push her on her back again so he could be above her, gazing wondrously into forever in her eyes that always seemed to look at him with a luminous smile permanently in them.

But he didn't. He didn't move an inch. He had learned his lesson the first time.

"Blue?"

"Yeah?"

"I have a confession to tell you."

Turning his body on the side, Bluestreak looked at her, giving his undivided attention, honored to be sharing a secret with her.

"That night…here," Kate started. "It kind of freaked me out at first, but…I um…I never thought you were going to hurt me."

She stopped then and Bluestreak could sense that everything between them was just as difficult for her as it was for him.

Watching her move closer over to him, Bluestreak shrunk back a little, his back touching the wall behind, as Kate lay down beside him, a tiny space separating the two of them from touching. With her tiny body _that close_, Bluestreak felt everything scramble uncontrollably inside. He wanted to do something…just reach out carefully…and caress, but he couldn't move. Was that what she wanted? He wasn't sure. He didn't want to make anymore horrible mistakes.

"Do you want me to go, Blue?" Kate asked him softly, reading the worry on him.

"No, I don't," Bluestreak replied.

Taking her hand gently, Kate put it up to Bluestreak's chest, feeling his whole body quiver nervously at her touch as she gently ran them across his armor. Putting her head down, Kate scooted herself closer, curling herself next to him.

Sighing deeply, breathing every intoxicating smell of her in, Bluestreak laid there, the warmth of Kate's body heating his electrical circuits unmercifully, a happy smile across him.


	14. Confessions

**Chapter 13**

"Please?" Bluestreak pleaded.

"No."

"Please, please?"

"I said no, Blue. Don't ask again," Ironhide snapped back.

The young gunner was not giving up though. He continued following the weapons specialist into the command center, bouncing happily, a colored piece of paper in his hands he had ran off from the internet. It had been about a week since he had taken that Decepticon missile in the side and from being confined to the base until he was fully healed, the laptop in his quarters and himself had become really good friends.

"It won't be that hard! We have everything here already!" Bluestreak said enthusiastically.

"You know how tiny that thing is? You want to burn my optics out?" Ironhide replied.

"Wheeljack and Hound would do it," Bluestreak said defiantly.

"Look around you, Blue. Do you see them here? The answer is no."

Having got the attention of the other Autobots, including Optimus, Bluestreak looked back to Ironhide as the others looked on, curious to see what had the young gunner so above and beyond his normal giddy self this morning.

Getting thoughtful, Bluestreak gave Ironhide another one of his cheesy grins. "I'll do your duty cleanup around here for a whole earth week if you do it," Bluestreak offered hopefully.

Coming over to Bluestreak, Jazz asked, "Whaddya got there Blue?"

Bluestreak handed the printed paper over to the silver Autobot who looked it over with a knowing grin.

"I'm trying to get Ironhide to make this."

"It looks pretty simple, Hide," Jazz said. "Probably'll need a little light molding but other than that, it shouldn't be that hard."

"You don't need to be adding to this insanity, Jazz…you really don't," Ironhide snapped at him.

Passing the piece of paper around to Optimus, Ratchet, and Bumblebee, Bluestreak waited patiently.

"It's nice, Blue," Bumblebee said as he gave it to Ratchet.

"Yeah, Hide, that wouldn't take any time, I have a couple micro tools I brought from Cybertron that I used to work on the minibots, was gonna leave them back there but figured they might come in handy for something, " Ratchet chimed in, looking it over.

Shooting an offended, spiteful glance toward their commander who just stood with a grin, Ironhide snatched the piece of paper and turned in the direction of the workshop in the back of the base.

"I hope all of you know this was _not_ in the job description," he said to everyone, almost crumpling the piece of paper in his hands.

Happy at his obvious victory, Bluestreak grinned from lip component to lip component.

* * *

Bluestreak didn't care where they went, so long as he got to spend some time with her, be around her, and listen to her even if she was just going on about what she had for dinner. And as of late, that time was practically every day much to Bluestreak's delight.

Sometimes they sat and talked in his quarters, Kate lying next to him, listening intently as he went on and on about what he thought about earth (he still couldn't understand the whole concept of seasons changing throughout the year in some parts of the earth and others staying the same temp no matter what ), living on the new human base instead of being on the Ark (which Kate had to have him explain was the Autobot's first earth bound ship), and whatever new transmissions he would get from his friends.

Sometimes, if it was late, they would sit out on the runway, alone, under the stars, talking about Cybertron's troubled history or about historic points in human history (who's ever turn it was) such as the dropping of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, slavery, and the invention of the automobile.

Their conversations never seemed to end and there always seemed to be one more thing to say, one more thing to learn from one another. Whenever Bluestreak talked, Kate always listened, excited to hear what rambling he had to say next. He never felt nervous with her. As much as he loved being around his friends, there were times when he felt he didn't fit in among them, but Kate always made it seem as if he could be himself so easily.

And while there was no denying how happy and giddy Bluestreak seemed, Kate always noticed two constant things when she was with him, how he always kept his distance from her physically and how whenever she asked him about his home city he had lived in, how guarded he became.

And as they sat one Sunday afternoon overlooking the canyons where they had first seen the sunset together, the sun shinning high above, Kate wondered if Bluestreak would ever show that side to him, the side that kept one's secrets locked deep, just as Kate wondered if she would ever be able to show hers as well.

Laying on her back on top of the Viper's hood, soaking up the sun's rays, her elbows propping her up slightly, Kate sighed to herself. How she wished she could stay out there for an eternity, away from work, away from stress, away from so much hurt she had been through.

"Hey Kate?" Bluestreak asked her suddenly.

"Yeah, Blue?"

"When we were riding over here, you were humming something, what was it? I never heard anything like that."

_Humming something?_ Kate thought to herself. _What the hell was I humming?_

"I don't remember…it was probably something I heard when I was at work…oh! You know what? I do remember…it was just some song, that's all. A little tune," Kate said.

"Did it have words?"

"Yep."

"What were they?"

"I don't know…"

"Sing it."

"Blue…"

"Come on! It'll be fun!"

"For you," Kate told him laughing.

"There's no one out here. No one will hear. I won't laugh."

"Sure you won't."

"Hey, I wouldn't lie!"

"Are all you Autobots this persistent or was this something specifically granted to you, Blue?"

Bluestreak giggled back. "Just come on, Kate! Do it!"

Sighing again, Kate started to think of the words and then she began to sing them out loud, her voice melodious and full, a gentle lullaby being sung by an angel.

"_When the dark wood fell before me  
And all the paths were overgrown  
When the priests of pride say there is no other way  
I tilled the sorrows of stone_

_I did not believe because I could not see  
Though you came to me in the night  
When the dawn seemed forever lost  
You showed me your love in the light of the stars"_

"There! Happy?" Kate asked.

"Wow," Bluestreak said. "I mean wow. That was amazing!"

Hopping down, Kate crossed her arms as Bluestreak transformed and stood next to her.

From the way Bluestreak stood so silent, Kate could tell something was going through his mind. Whenever he looked at the ground and shifted his weight like that, Kate knew there was something bothering him.

"What is it, Blue?"

"That song was really nice. I was just wondering if…if…you've ever…"

"What?" Kate asked him patiently.

"…if you've ever loved anyone like the song says," Bluestreak finally got out, breathing a sigh of relief.

Kate smiled a little to herself. Drawing a sharp breath of air in, she exhaled slowly.

"I have loved, yes. I was married once. To a man I thought was my soul mate. I loved him more than anything on this earth. He always used to tell me we would be together in this lifetime and the next. But he ended up leaving me for someone else when I was pregnant. The baby…the baby ended up dying prematurely," Kate said softly and seeing Bluestreak pondering what she was telling him, asked, "Do you understand all that?"

"Yes," he replied, nodding, remembering a few conversations Hound and he had in the past when they were on earth before. "Being married means humans mate for life with that one being and then you produce offspring, right?"

Kate nodded, smiling at his simple telling of it. _If only it were that simple_…

"He hurt you?" Bluestreak said, more or less as a statement than as a question.

Kate nodded silently.

"I really thought I couldn't do it again, love so deep. Humans are funny, Blue. We love to love and love to hurt. I guess that's the only way to explain it because they go hand in hand. But I've met someone else who has changed my mind," Kate said.

Bluestreak looked down at the dirt below him. "The Captain?" he said softly.

"No, not the Captain," Kate said.

"Oh…okay," Bluestreak replied.

And then looking up directly at him, catching Bluestreak's hurtful glance, Kate uttered, "I'm standing next to him."

As she saw a huge silly grin come across him, one of the biggest grins she had ever seen, Kate said, "Now you…have you ever loved anyone?"

Bluestreak's grin faded then as Kate saw the wall being put up. Feeling horrible for hitting that spot again, she started opening her mouth to apologize but Bluestreak stopped her.

"Back on Cybertron, in my home city, I had so many friends, good friends. I wasn't always a gunner. I was a trader of goods there. I liked my job a lot. Met a lot of different bots. My life was a good one. One day, I went away to take care of some business in another city and when I came back…" Bluestreak said, his voice trailing off.

"When I got back, my home city had been burned to the ground, everything was in ashes. The Decepticons…they had attacked and killed everyone there. They found me, hiding, because I was so scared. They forced me to watch…watch them torture and kill any survivors that remained. And I couldn't do anything, for my friends, for anyone. Everyone I loved was destroyed and I watched it all. The Decepticons left me alive, laughing, saying they were doing it so I could tell everyone first hand what they were capable of and what they would do to win the war. And then shortly after that, Optimus, Prowl, and Jazz found me and took me in."

Kate had tears in her eyes from hearing Bluestreak's tale. She hurt all over for him. She wished she could just pull him close, hold him, and take all his pain away. She could save him and make sure he never saw another horrible memory. And for the first time, Kate realized what she had been through was probably nothing on the magnitude he had walked.

"Oh, Blue, I'm so, sorry. I'm so sorry," she told him tearfully.

He looked down at her, concerned.

"Don't cry, Kate. It's alright. It really is. That was a long time ago. A long, long time ago. I've met someone who's changed all that," Bluestreak grinned.

"Oh?"

He nodded. "I'm standing next to her."

* * *

Breaths deep, like heaven sent kisses on a rainy day. Hands searching, mouths touching. Bodies pressed together to explore and savor.

But as Mike went to give another kiss to Kate, her shirt halfway unbuttoned showing the pink lacey bra she had on underneath, he stopped.

"Is everything okay?" He asked. "You seem like your miles away right now."

"I'm sorry, Mike," Kate replied.

Getting up from laying on top of her, Mike sat on her couch as she sat up, fixing her shirt.

"Kate, I think we need to talk. You've been acting really distant for the past few weeks. Is there something I've done to make you feel that way?"

"No, why?" Kate replied airily.

"Well, for one, we hardly ever spend anytime together. I mean, I know I work a lot. Lord knows that job isn't an easy one, but you know, I will always set aside time for us," Mike said.

Kate bit her one nail on her finger nervously, fidgeting somewhat, wanting to avoid the subject.

"Kate, we need to be honest here. I know that's what you want from me and I am more than willing to give that to you, but you have to want to give me that as well."

"I _have_ been honest with you, Mike," Kate said defensively.

"Really?"

"Yes, _really_."

"So if I ask if this has anything to do with a certain blue Autobot gunner, then you'll tell me the truth right?"

"What does Bluestreak have to do with us?" Kate asked sharply.

"Judging from how you much time you spend with him, I would say a lot."

"He's my friend," Kate replied.

Mike gave her a knowing look. He had spent enough time around that base and around all the Autobots, working with them, joking with them, and on one or two occasions, fighting next to them, to pick up on a few things. And it was no secret whatsoever to everyone working and living on that base, human or not, that the Autobot's good natured, talkative gunner had taken up quite a liking to Kate.

"Kate, they are wonderful beings. There's not a day that goes by that I am not amazed when I go to work. I never ever thought I would live to see something like this. They are special and I thank God everyday that they are here, risking everything to protect us. But they are _still_ alien beings," Mike said.

"I really don't know where this is going," Kate replied.

Taking his hands, Mike put them up to her cheek, caressing softly. "I know what you went through with David was torture. But don't push me away because you're afraid of being hurt."

Kate sat, silent.

"Bluestreak is a tremendous creature, but he's not human, Kate. He would never be able to fully understand all the complex dynamics of a human relationship. I know you know this. I know you know what I'm saying is right," Mike said. "He would never be able to give you what you need, Kate," he added quietly.

"He already has," Kate replied stoically.

Getting to his feet, Mike heaved a sigh. Why that sorry son of a bitch attorney she had been married to ever left her, was beyond him. Mike could see exactly why the young Autobot was so infatuated with her. The same reason he was. She was passionate and strong. But as long as Kate had another who came first on her list, no matter who it was, Mike knew he couldn't compete.

Turning the knob to her front door, Mike turned to her, as she sat, her face expressionless.

"If you change your mind, you know where I'll be, Kate," Mike said and then opened her door and walked out.

_**Musical Credit/Reference:**_

"_**Dante's Prayer" Recorded and written by Loreena McKennitt**_


	15. Afternoon Delight

**Chapter 14**

The little meadow in the state park they had stopped in was perfect…secluded and quiet, winding a little bit from any main pathway…a picture view of a few gently rolling hills and a small shallow stream running through on the other side of the open area.

A few years back, the company Kate worked for had rented the main shelter house for their annual picnic that was supposed to be located at the end of the main entrance. What the directions failed to state was that there were _four _main entrances.

Having gotten horribly turned around in the gigantic maze like park (that, in Kate's mind, was laid out back ass ward to start with) that easily spanned four miles wide, she ended up passing the little opening to that grassy field with the view by accident, thinking at the time how neat it would've been to be able to lay out there and not be driving around aimlessly in her car.

Feeling the green grass warm and cushioning beneath her, Kate laid with her hands behind her head, stretched out and totally relaxed. Bluestreak sat next to her listening to her tell about when he was injured awhile back and how Thundercracker seemed to be genuinely concerned about it.

"I don't know, Kate. I think if Megatron was still online, TC would've never had any doubts where his loyalties lie. I think he just doesn't like Screamer and that's what makes him keep coming to us because he knows it'll get Screamer's circuits all in a jam," Bluestreak replied, doubt heavy in his tone. "Besides, we've all had way too many run ins with him when he had his identity circuits in line. He could be just as vicious as any of those other Cons."

"He did save me, though, Blue. He _didn't_ have to do that. He could've left me there and saved himself only," Kate pointed out.

Bluestreak looked over to her, laying there, her hair falling around her face, the blades of grass fluttering in the breeze around her, framing her body in a perfect silhouette of unreachable exquisiteness.

He didn't want to talk about Thundercracker. He could care less if that Decepticon ever made up his logic circuits of what side he wanted to be on, although Kate was right about one thing. Thundercracker _could've_ chosen to leave her there to die. And that was something Bluestreak couldn't even fathom to think about. To have her die, and not be able to save her…his logic circuits just couldn't handle that scenario. He had lived through enough of that sadness in the past.

All Bluestreak wanted was to be there with her, looking down at her, knowing she was safe. And as he watched her lying there, so close but so far apart, all he could think of was one word humans used so often to describe something pleasing.

Seeing the silly grin come over him all of a sudden, Kate looked around. _Did she miss something?_

"What, Blue? What is it?"

"I…just…think…you're really…pretty," Bluestreak said slowly, carefully.

Kate blinked up at him.

"Pretty, huh?" She nodded then and added gently, "Like that night you pulled me beneath you?"

Bluestreak hadn't forgotten that night by far. Every time he found himself thinking about it, it did weird, fantastic things to him he couldn't put into words.

"Yes, like that night I pulled you beneath me," Bluestreak replied delicately.

_He won't be able to give you what he needs_. The words echoed charismatically through Kate's mind. Sitting up, she looked over to Bluestreak, her face serious. It wasn't something she thought about regularly, or at least, _tried_ not to. But it did cross her mind from time to time. And now, she felt she was ready to ask it, and even more astounding was that she was _ready_ to hear it.

"When you touched me…" Kate said, stopping to try and gather her thoughts on what she wanted to say and how she wanted to say it. "What went through your mind?"

"Softness," Bluestreak replied immediately, surprised at his own quick response to something so delicate.

"Softness and how warm you felt,"' Bluestreak added, still remembering it all. "Hound told me once humans have a core body temp of 98.3. That always seemed like that measurement would be cold because temperatures Cybertronians can create is much, much higher. But when I touched you…all I felt was a soft warmness."

"Blue, I know I told you it freaked me out a little…it did at first…I just wasn't expecting that. But when I was lying there, looking up at you…it was nice. I just didn't know how to deal with it afterward," Kate explained.

Bluestreak nodded in complete understanding. "I…I've…never did that with anyone else, I mean, I've never touched another human like that. I never had any reason to. I never wanted to," Bluestreak said.

"What about back on Cybertron? Did you have someone special there?" Kate asked.

"You mean to touch?"

Kate nodded.

"It's different for Cybertronians," Bluestreak said.

Kate shot him a weird glance, not following.

"You're not affectionate with someone you care for? You're affectionate with me," Kate said.

"No, we show affection, but our bonding ritual is different than humans."

Kate laughed then. "You mean mating, right?"

Bluestreak giggled at her remark, nodding.

"Cybertronians have what's called an 'All Purpose Access Outlet' located here," Bluestreak said pointing to his side. "It can be used for all types of things but since it was mainly designed to distribute fluids rapidly through our systems in the event of an emergency, it's mostly used to for distributing meds during a repair and energon if we're running dangerously low. But if the connector has a certain kind of tip on it, the feeling produced is totally different and very pleasurable."

"You've done that before?" Kate asked.

A look of bashful embarrassment fell over Bluestreak then as he started twiddling with the grass below, avoiding Kate's gaze.

"Well…no…not really…not actually…Sunny, Sideswipe, and Jazz…they all have, _a lot_…they had femme bots all over them back on Cybertron, although they seemed to really go for Jazz more than the twins which always made them mad. Sunny would always sit there and brag about it to everyone if he did do it though. He kept telling me he was going to take me to a few femmes he knew but he never did. There was this one femme I knew in my home city, though that I kinda liked."

"A girlfriend, huh?" Kate asked, smiling.

Bluestreak shook his head no. "She was just someone I knew but she wanted me to do that with her and I kinda liked her back but every time I tried to get the connector out, I would drop it. She got mad and never spoke to me again after that."

"Damn her!" Kate spat out. Shrugging then, she added slyly, "Her loss."

Kate stood up then. Even with Bluestreak sitting, she barely came up to the middle of his side.

"So where's this infamous access outlet?" Kate asked.

"Here," Bluestreak said, pointing to an area at the bottom of his chest armor.

Standing on her tip toes, curious to see what could produce the aphrodisiac Bluestreak was talking about, Kate looked around but saw nothing but highly advanced circuitry, wires, and metal. Finally, toward the top, she spied a small round silver opening that was lined with black wiring.

Kate remembered the first time she had met him at the lake and how impressive he looked to her. And getting the chance to see all of the intricacies of Bluestreak's mechanics up close, a remarkable technological being that human technology would _never_ be able to compete against, no matter how hard they tried, Kate was nothing short of being amazed and in total awe.

Curiosity getting to her, Kate put her hand up and touched the little opening gently, intrigued by it. It was vibrating lightly from Bluestreak's processors running, but as she took her fingers and ran them along the black wiring, Kate heard a slight wispy gasp emit from him.

Quickly, before Kate did anything else that would send him into a total overload of heated metal, Bluestreak pushed her away with his hand, making her fall backward onto the grass. Kate laughed, as she lay there, seeing the huge Autobot so flustered.

_Oh holy Primus she has no clue!_ Bluestreak thought pathetically, as tormented pleasure ripped through him, trying to calm his body from the throbbing it was doing all over from the tiny area being stimulated ever so slightly.

"That was slaggin' mean, Kate! Do you know that?"

Kate burst out into a fit of giggles. "Now you know how I felt that night!"

Bluestreak couldn't _stand_ it any longer. He was willing to take the chance and think about it later. It would be so worth it. Anymore of this and he was sure Ratchet was going to have to repair every condenser, sensor, and diagnostic circuit from feeling like he was running at mach 2 inside all the time around her.

Grinning, Bluestreak got up and knelt over Kate, lowering himself so she was totally trapped beneath him. Unlike last time though, when Kate had been so caught off guard and frozen, she giggled playfully up at him, her eyes bright and _happy_.

"If you don't stop giggling flesh creature, I will have to make you!" Bluestreak said to her, trying to sound as mean and menacing as possible, but was really doing a horrible job at it.

But from the totally out of character mode he was trying to play, Kate just giggled harder.

"Go ahead!" She told him, smiling.

"Don't tempt me, flesh creature. We Autobots have our ways to extract what we want!" Bluestreak growled playfully at her.

"Yeah, just don't drop the connector this time!" Kate laughed.

"Hey, I tried! She just wasn't patient!" Bluestreak wimpered back.

Kate stopped giggling then. Hushed seriousness came over her. Her mind ran a thousand things through it_. Mike. Being human. Caring. And the ultimate truth that laid within Mike's words to her. _But Kate didn't care. She knew she was weak. She knew she couldn't stop any of it. She had admitted that long ago and decided she was okay with it. All she needed to do now was run with it and never look back.

Looking straight into Bluestreak's optics that had never once looked away from her, Kate whispered gently to him, "_I'd be patient with you, Blue."_

Without another sound, Kate watched as Bluestreak got to his knees and then sat back as if he wanted to say something but just couldn't get it out. Sighing some, still quiet, the young gunner laid back on the grass, staring up at the sky. Getting to her feet, Kate stepped over to him, standing at his side, knowing he was contemplating something important but was afraid to say it.

And suddenly, Kate felt Bluestreak's hand around her, picking her up. Setting her down on his chest plate gently, Kate sat with her legs hanging over his side. His fingertips touched her hair lightly, reverently, and then down to her cheek. Smiling back at him, Kate laid down, snuggling up against him, his beating spark beneath her, as they lay underneath the sky, lost to anything else except each other.

* * *

"_She touched you where_?!" Bumblebee exclaimed.

Bluestreak giggled proudly and then pointed to his side as he watched Bumblebee's optics leap out of his head.

They were standing in the rec room the humans had modified to accommodate their size. Actually it was more or less like a converted storage room from when the base had previously been in use some time ago with old file cabinets stacked on one side, and old computer equipment stacked on the other.

But the Captain had also managed to put a nice size television in it, equipped with a DVD player and a Sony Play station he bought relatively cheap online that Bumblebee and Jazz would sometimes argue about who got to play if the game they wanted to play was a one player game. Mostly though, it was a relaxation area to just kick back, have a few energon drinks, and unwind. It wasn't the comforts of home to say the least, but for temporary accommodations, it wasn't too bad.

Suddenly, Ratchet and Jazz walked through the entranceway, and overhearing Bumblebee's loud remark, looked at Bluestreak with curiosity.

"Who touched what, Bee?" Jazz asked casually, heading over to the t.v. and upon turning it on, started to flip through the stations.

"Kate gave Blue here a little _massage_," Bumblebee quipped up, stressing the word _massage_, always being the one for some good gossip.

"That was nice of her, Blue," Jazz replied, looking back toward the screen.

"_Here_," Bumblebee stressed again, pointing to the outlet on his own side.

Realizing _the spot_ Bumblebee was talking about, Ratchet and Jazz's optics got as wide as the flying saucers they could build from scratch.

"Blue, whatever you're doing with the human…I do not want to know, but I think you are in need of some serious help and that it should stop. They don't like to be probed, you know." Ratchet said slowly.

Jazz's face was filled with amusement. "Blue you know you can't plug into a human!"

"And plugging into yourself doesn't count either," Ratchet added pointedly.

Bluestreak rolled his optics at them. "I know that! That's not what happened."

Relaying the afternoon with them and what she did, Bluestreak grinned all the while telling it. He would've given anything to lay there all day with her, on his chest, feeling her breathing. It was like nothing he had experienced _ever_ before and he was quickly coming to the conclusion that he was addicted to the feeling.

"So…how did it feel?" Jazz asked.

"For Primus sake, what is it? We come back to earth and everyone loses their slaggin' logic circuits? Don't encourage him, Jazz!" Ratchet heaved.

Bluestreak ignored Ratchet's comment, too worked up from the afternoon.

"Like every electrical current going through me was on overload and I was going to convulse or something. I had to sit there for an astroclick to try and stop myself from shaking," Bluestreak told Jazz who nodded knowing _exactly_ what the young gunner was talking about.

"Hey," the silver second in command said with a wink, "At least she did it right, that's all that matters."

Turning to Bluestreak, Bumblebee said enthusiastically, "Think she can do that for me too?"

Smacking Bumblebee along side the head rather hard, Bluestreak quickly went from giddy to agitated telling the yellow Autobot, "_No, she can't do that for you!"_

Laughing at the whole thing, Jazz turned back to the t.v. to see what was playing on the Cartoon Network.

* * *

Opening her front door after getting back from being with Bluestreak all afternoon and early evening, Kate was greeted by a very anxious Maggie who was bouncing and hopping, her favorite toy, a brown fat hedge hog that grunted unmercifully when she squeezed it, in her mouth.

"You gotta go outside, girl?" Kate asked her.

Dropping her toy at the word "outside", Maggie took off for the back door in the kitchen, whining and crying. Opening the door, the dog tore off like a bat out of hell off the deck and headed out into the backyard.

Shaking her head at Maggie's contagious joy that never ended, Kate closed the door and headed into her living room, falling back onto her couch, a huge smile on her. She wanted to shout it to the world, the wonderful being she had in her life…how he made her feel…how he made everything inside her glow. All she wanted to do was lay there and replay everything from the afternoon, letting reality escape her all together.

Kate didn't give a shit about being "right" anymore. _Fuck being right._ She had spend seven years with a man she had "gotten right" with and it back fired on her. But Bluestreak, he was literally and figuratively, _out of this world._ And "getting right" with him seemed like the best decision in all her 28 years of living. She was more than…

_Screeching tires outside. In front of her house. Something shrieking._

Getting to her feet, all thoughts of Bluestreak out of her head temporarily, Kate opened her front door.

In the street was a car that had stopped and something was in front of it, in the street, injured badly. Peering closer, Kate felt her heart literally stop.

_It was Maggie._

"_NO! MAGGIE!"_

Running over to her blindly, Kate knelt down beside her, blood coming from her nose and from her side where she had been hit, her skin torn open and the muscle showing beneath. Her one rear leg looked like it was broken. Her breathing, labored.

"Oh God, girl…no…" Kate stammered, picking up her head and touching her muzzle.

The driver of the car, an older African American woman, knelt beside her, her voice shaking.

"I didn't see her. There was this cat that went across and she followed. I swerved but…"

Kate looked back at her house toward the backyard. _The fence_. The fence was a split rail fence with chicken wire around it because the sub division she lived in wouldn't allow a privacy fence to be put up. That was one of the major things David and her didn't like about the neighborhood when they moved in. Maggie had hopped the fence once when she was a pup, but never again, having gotten to fat and old to do it.

But as Kate looked down at the injured animal, she knew Maggie had definitely hopped it this time to chase the neighborhood cat that came and taunted her every now and then.

_Think Kate! Think! The vet's office is closed. There's an emergency vet hospital…yes, they just built it…in the direction of the base._

"Don't worry, Mags…I'm gonna take care of you girl, I'm gonna get you to a vet."

Running to grab her keys, Kate backed her Civic out and with the help of the driver from the other car, put Maggie in the back seat, her blood soaking the light colored blouse Kate wore.

Gripping the steering wheel, Maggie's blood on them, Kate tried to stay calm. She had to stay calm. Maggie was going to be fine. Vets see dogs all the time hit by cars. It was an everyday occurrence in the veterinary world. This was nothing. Maggie would be up and walking in a few days. Wiping the tears that had started to form, Kate drove on, the lights from the other cars starting to come on as she saw it was getting somewhat dark. And when she finally got to the location the new emergency vet hospital was, Kate started balling and trembling.

Where the structure should have been was a skeleton of a building, half built, with a sign in front that said, "Companion Emergency Clinic coming soon. Where we treat your pets as our own."

Burying her head in hands, hearing Maggie's labored breathing, looking at the blood on her hands and on her shirt, Kate sobbed, hitting the steering wheel with her fists.

"_I don't know what to do Maggie. I don't know what to do for you, baby girl."_

Whimpering from her pain, Maggie sat, listening.

"_Oh God, please, help me…I don't know what to do for her."_

Taking a deep breath in, Kate regained her composure suddenly and started the car again.

Harrison Air Force Base was only fifteen minutes away.


	16. Night Repair Job

**Chapter 15**

"Put it back on, Jazz! I was watching that!" Bumblebee complained.

"Bee, I am not, I _repeat, AM NOT,_ watching Hannah Montana," Jazz replied.

"We _always_ have to watch what _you _want to watch, just like I always have to play the same fraggin' Play Station games you want. And to be honest, I am tired of watching you play Final Fantasy a trillion times and getting slagged to pieces at the same part!" Bumblebee shot back, annoyed.

"Hey, it's all a part of being second in command, Bee," Jazz laughed back.

Bumblebee rolled his optics. "Bullocks! Prowl _never _hogged the t.v. when we were on earth before."

"Well, whenever he gets here, the both of you can sit together and have a Hannah Montana marathon all you want, little pink bows and all, how's that sound?" Jazz retorted evenly.

And to annoy the yellow Autobot sitting in the chair across from him even more, he started flipping rapidly again through the stations, the walls flickering with the blurry images being projected.

With Optimus busy preparing an update report for the Ruling Councils back on Cybertron in his quarters (which everyone knew when he did that, it meant the Autobot leader was not to be disturbed unless Starscream was disintegrating the base) and Ironhide busy with the one project Bluestreak had begged him to make, the others had been sitting in the rec room for two earth hours much enjoying their down time.

"I hope you know, Jazz, humans have a name for your rampant t.v. flipping," Bumblebee replied indignantly as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Well enlighten me bro, what is it?"

"ADD."

Ratchet, who was sitting next to Jazz, patiently waited for the silver Autobot to find something decent. Having had little time to really sit back and relax since coming back to earth from either going into constant battle with that lunatic Starscream and then being obsessively immersed in repairing Jazz, Ratchet was actually glad to be able to sit back and hear them go back and forth.

"I think _that_ term applies to Blue Wonder over there," the medic chuckled lightly, nodding in the direction of the blue gunner who was sitting in the chair across from Bumblebee, a dreamy expression on him that said he was miles away and still reeling from the harmonious state Kate had put him in earlier that afternoon.

Given how Bluestreak didn't even respond, move, grunt, or acknowledge Ratchet's remark in the slightest, Bumblebee chuckled back, "I'm not really feeling that's an accurate description of Blue right now."

Finally settling on some random movie channel that was showing a martial arts flick dubbed in English, Jazz glanced over to the young gunner.

"That's what happens when you're love struck," Jazz said.

"You mean Kate struck?" Ratchet corrected a slight smile across him.

"Well, it seems like she definitely struck him somewhere this afternoon!" Bumblebee chuckled with what sounded like a tiny hinge of jealousy laced to it.

Jazz snapped his fingers in the direction of the blue gunner still sitting there abnormally quiet, his one hand resting below his chin, his logic circuits faraway.

"Blue!"

Bluestreak blinked his optics and then turned in the direction where Jazz and the others were sitting.

"Hmmm?"

"How's life, man?" Jazz asked casually.

"Kate called here a little bit ago," Bumblebee began, all serious. "She said for me to tell you she doesn't get into the 16 foot tall gunner types, you know, because they're always so easily distracted, said something about maybe wanting a Seeker type or something like that."

Bluestreak got to his feet as his comrades broke down into gales of laughter.

"That is NOT funny, Bee!" Bluestreak replied, his voice in between worry and irritation.

"Maybe she has a crush on TC for saving her," Bumblebee pressed.

From seeing the blue mech's optics narrow as if lightning was going to be hurled out of them at any second, Bumblebee knew full well he was going to get a good thrashing in a minute if he wasn't careful. And it was in that instance the yellow scout saw just how much the human had a hold on the young Autobot who normally never lost his cheerful disposition, even when getting shot at by Decepticons.

"Ya know we're just messin' with ya!" Jazz said lightly.

"I don't have to take this abuse!" Bluestreak said defiantly.

Ratchet looked around the room at everyone and then said in his trade mark off handed way, "Actually Blue, given how we're not leaving earth anytime soon and that you're kind of stuck with all of us…yeah you do."

"I'm leaving," Bluestreak said, throwing his hands up in exasperation, heading to the entrance way as he heard their comments behind him.

"_Aw Blue, come on! It's just a lil' static you're catchin'…you know we don't mean nuthin' by it…Kate's an alright girlie girl."_

"_Yeah Blue, we all like Kate. You just like her more."_

"_We're your friends. Friends harass each other."_

Sighing, Bluestreak knew they were right and that they didn't mean anything by it. Starting to turn around to go sit back down and maybe even get into the movie Jazz had flipped to, which he thought the screen had said it was titled, "_Kung Fu Hustle_", Bluestreak got a smile on him and nodded back to his comrades.

But as he was about to turn around, he heard footsteps, rushing footsteps coming down the corridor. From the lightness of the sound, Bluestreak knew it wasn't a Cybertronian but rather a human. And as he heard them getting closer, Bluestreak was really hoping they weren't coming to tell them Starscream was on his way with his entire to crew to slag the base after all.

Holding his air intake, Bluestreak let out a relieved _ecstatic _sigh when he saw it was Kate instead. _I guess she misses me as much as I miss her when we aren't together_!

"Hi, Kate! I'm really surprised to…" Bluestreak began, and then stopped in mid sentence, horrified.

All of his internal processors nearly stopped functioning as he saw the bright red liquid down the front of her and her hands stained with the same. Her eyes were tainted with a fear he had never seen on her before, even when she had been injured so badly from Starscream taking her captive. And all Bluestreak's logic circuits kept running over and over was if Screamer had done something once again to try and provoke a tussle from the Autobots.

"Blue, I need your help," Kate whimpered to him, her eyes puffy and red from the tears.

Coming down to her eye level, Bluestreak gently took her tiny hand in his and held it, feeling his emotional circuits start to go haywire inside.

"What Kate? What happened? Did Starscream…"

Kate shook her head no quickly as her words tumbled wildly from her mouth.

"No, it's Maggie…she was hit by a car not too long ago…I tried taking her to the emergency vet but the place isn't finished being built…she's hurt really bad…really, really bad…she can't move…she's bleeding all over…I don't what to do…I didn't know where else to go…"

Starting to sob uncontrollably, Kate whispered to him, "I don't know if she's gonna make it."

"Okay…Kate, I'll do anything I can. Anything. Ratchet is right here. I'll get him. He'll repair Maggie. I promise."

Quickly, Bluestreak stood up as he saw all three of his friends behind him, having heard the commotion, their faces racked with concern.

Turning to Ratchet, Bluestreak went to say something, but the medic quickly cut him off, knowing what the gunner was going to say before he even said it.

"The med bay. I'll meet you guys in there. I'll get everything prepared."

* * *

Ratchet looked up at the computer screen and quickly processed the results of his scan. After a few minutes, he was finished and then he turned around to the yellow Lab lying on her side on the stainless steel table that had seen so many repairs before, but never like this one.

Taking his laser scan, he ran it over the dog's body, slowly, stopping at her chest area that was heaving in and out shallowly, and then down to her legs.

"I uploaded a couple veterinary handbooks just now from the internet and it is my diagnoses that her back leg has a comminuted fracture from the severe impact of the hit. What that means is that the bone has splintered and is in several smaller fragments. The nominal swelling and warmness of the area is from her body trying to compensate and adjust to the injury, so that's a good thing. From the scans I did, there doesn't appear to be any other breakages…seems the impact was concentrated on the leg only," Ratchet explained.

Taking a hand held diagnoses scanner he had originally had from when they were on earth before that picked up on organic molecular structures (thanks to Wheeljack's tinkering) Ratchet ran it gingerly over the chest area again, his face studying the results with an intense scrutiny.

"There appears to be moderate bruising inside as I am assuming the open wound and that are from hitting the ground but I detect no fluid inside the chest cavity, which is good. The fluid from her nose is most likely from the impact of the trauma sustained, not from any internal hemorrhaging inside," Ratchet finished.

"Her leg is shattered?" Kate asked quietly, her hand to her face in disbelief.

Beside her stood Bluestreak who was listening attentively as he watched Kate to make sure she was okay.

"Yes, it appears so, on the lower half of the tibia, right here," Ratchet pointed to the bottom half of Maggie's leg.

"Oh Mags…" Kate said tearfully, leaning over the table to pet her head, seeing how dilated her pupils were from the shock. "Girl, I'm sorry…"

"There's good news, though, Kate," Ratchet said quickly.

He could feel his own emotional circuits start to crunch up slightly, even though he was going to fight like mad to make sure they didn't. He had learned a long, long time ago to separate being a medic and getting overly emotionally attached. There was no room to feel otherwise. Too many of his friends lives depended on it.

"After all the repair sessions I did with Jazz and the extreme amount of attention to detail that it required, it gave me an excellent grasp on doing intricate fine tuning. Maggie's leg will be easy because of the same intricate pattern involved. There's a bonding solution we Cybertronians use to fuse our joints, hinges, and other various pieces back together with. It's a highly soluble mixture that adapts to whatever molecular structure it is adhered to so there won't be any side affects for Maggie. I'll just administer a small dose of a gassing agent to make her sleep and then we'll be on our way."

Kate smiled brightly, feeling relieved.

Ratchet motioned to Bluestreak then.

"Up for a little late night repair help, Blue?"

Bluestreak nodded enthusiastically. "You know it, Ratchet!"

Grabbing a mask that was hooked to a hose that lead to an electronic anesthetic machine, Ratchet handed it to Bluestreak who positioned it lightly over the dog's muzzle.

"It's too big for her, Ratchet. What do you want me to do?" Bluestreak asked.

"Just press the button on the side of it. It'll adjust by itself," Ratchet said.

Doing just that, Bluestreak watched as the mask set itself snugly around Maggie's muzzle so no gas vapors could escape into the air, as the dog slowly closed her eyes, relaxing into her squirrel chasing paradise.

* * *

Opening the door to his quarters for her, Bluestreak let Kate walk in first telling her he would be right back.

She had just spent the last two hours in surgery with Maggie as Ratchet and he both worked meticulously to repair her leg. And she couldn't help wondering, as she watched the whole thing, if regular veterinary hospitals would ever see another patient of theirs die from an emergency if they had all the same advanced technology that was being used on Maggie right then and there.

The surgery went well and Ratchet made a comment how that repair was one of the smoothest ones he had ever done. All of the bone fragments bonded nicely to the substance he used, although he did say one little fragment wanted to be stubborn. And after using the substance on the laceration on Maggie's side, the surgery was done.

All that was left now was to wait until Maggie woke up. She would be as good as new, although a little stiff from having her leg set in a new way. The only thing was, with Maggie being a non Cybertronian, Ratchet didn't know how long the anesthetic would last in her system and that he would come and get Kate as soon as the dog's eyes fluttered open.

Having finally washed Maggie's blood off her hands, Kate sat on Bluestreak's recharge bed waiting for him to return. And after about fifteen minutes or so of waiting, the door slid open and he walked in, holding something in his hands.

"Here, I got this for you," Bluestreak said, bending down to give Kate a t-shirt.

"I asked a couple of the human security guards around here if any of them had a spare by any chance…took me a bit…but I finally found someone who did…I thought you would be more comfortable because the one you have on now has so much of Maggie's system fluid on it," Bluestreak said.

It never ceased to amaze Kate the utter and total caring Bluestreak always demonstrated. How she wished there were more humans like him as her mother's words, _love is when you care for someone else's well being more than your own_, drifted suddenly into Kate's mind.

"Thanks, Blue," Kate said and without thinking, slipped off the shirt she had on, rolling it into a little ball next to her. She figured when she got home she could just throw it out.

Sitting in the chair at his desk, Bluestreak watched as Kate started to put the other shirt on, noticing the very female styling of her body. Her chest was covered by a weird white garment of some sort that had thin little straps going up her shoulders and a band around the bottom of it that looked like it hooked somehow in the back. _Too complicated for me,_ he thought as he found himself starting to wonder what the garment was hiding behind it. He wondered if the two round protrusions (he didn't know what they were called) the garment were holding were as soft as the rest of her. Shrugging it off as something he would have to get around to asking her some other time, Bluestreak looked at her brightly.

"Ratchet said Maggie should have no problems healing. He said she won't even know she was hurt! I hope she'll still be able to go swimming," Bluestreak said.

Kate smiled then as she pulled the t shirt down. "Maggie not swim? That dog was born for the water. Injury or no injury, there's no stopping her!"

Bluestreak believed that without a doubt, grinning at her remark, remembering firsthand how the animal seemed to love the whole experience when he had first met Kate at the lake.

Shifting some in his chair nervously then, Bluestreak tried to get the nagging thought in the back of his logic circuits out of his head. He could've killed Bumblebee with his own bare hands for ever putting the thought there in the first place. But he was a worrier, so he had to know, _just to be sure_.

"Hey, Kate? What do you think of TC?" He asked suddenly.

Kate shrugged.

"Thundercracker, you mean?"

"Yeah."

Kate shrugged again.

"I don't know. He's…alright, I guess. He always seems to have an attitude though."

"I mean, you know, you said it was good he rescued you."

"Yeah…I would think you…agreed," Kate said slowly.

"Oh no, I do! I do! But I was just wondering if…if…you know…if,"

"Yeah?"

"If you liked him…"

"You mean if I like him the same way I like you because he saved me that night?"

"Well…yeah," Bluestreak admitted.

Kate sighed.

"Come here, Blue."

Bluestreak got up and knelt down in front of her.

Taking his one finger, Kate put it to where her heart was as Bluestreak's sensors picked up on the strong beating underneath her chest. It was her spark…_her life line_ and it was riveting to be able to feel it, beating in a synchronized rhythm.

"Thundercracker doesn't have this. You do. Does that answer your question?" Kate said.

Bluestreak nodded. He understood. And was elated for the honor.

**Author's End Notes:**

_**The ADD reference in here is actually a little inside/outside joke on myself. I was diagnosed last year as having a slight tinge of ADD. Perhaps that explains why I have so many history and political books halfway read and just sitting there before I go to something else:-p**_

_**The reference is not meant to offend anyone reading this who has been diagnosed the same. People with ADD/ADHD are extremely creative and innovative. The owner of JetBlue Airlines has ADD and is a multimillionaire. I just thought it would be a funny excerpt to put in here given how Jazz couldn't seem to focus on one station.**_

_**For anyone who hasn't seen it, "Kung Fu Hustle" is hi-larious! Great movie!**_

_**For all the awesome, encouraging reviews, thank you!**_

_**Please keep reading!**_

_**K.D.B. **_


	17. The Gift

**Chapter 16**

"Don't tell me. You've got a human girlfriend too, Ratchet?" Ironhide asked as he walked into the med bay seeing the medic and Bluestreak both.

On the back counter where the medic kept all of his supplies were two separate pots with decorative green foil wrapped around them, each holding a healthy overflow of bright red vibrant flowers that were in full bloom. Stuck in each pot were two cards, one that said "Azaleas" and the other ones addressed personally to the intended recipients.

Bluestreak started reading the card addressed to Ratchet out loud:

_Ratchet, thank you so much for everything you did for Maggie. She's doing great, walks around like nothing ever happened. You saved her life. I am eternally grateful. You are a phenomenal doctor. I will never forget what you did. Thanks so much! Kate._

Ironhide swore Ratchet actually started to blush somewhat.

But after silently reading the card Kate had addressed to him, Bluestreak got quiet.

"Well? What'd she write?" Ironhide asked after a few seconds had passed.

Slowly, Bluestreak read the message:

_Blue, you are beyond words for me to describe as I can only say that you bring me immeasurable joy and that everyday spent with you is like a cool breeze blowing on a hot summer day, refreshing and beautiful but so very needed and always wanted. Love always, Kate._

"Who has the human girlfriend again, Hide?" Ratchet chuckled.

"Yeah well, Blue, you can return her refreshing cool breeze back to her. Here. It's done," Ironhide said to Bluestreak, handing the gunner what he had been so patiently waiting for.

Bluestreak was _ecstatic_. If he didn't think the gigantic weapons specialist would tear his CPU out and melt it down to a little metal nugget, Bluestreak would've hugged the big lug. It had been close to a whole decacycle since he had propositioned him, but Bluestreak tried to keep patient and only ask every now and then on when it would be done. The last thing he wanted to do was rush him. But as he stood looking at the tiny gift he had Ironhide make, Bluestreak saw that all the waiting had been well worth it.

Taking a closer peek, Ratchet nodded in impressive amazement.

"Not bad, there Hide!" He said.

"I hope you know my neck joints are permanently kinked to one side and that I'm going to have to have Ratchet replace my fingertips from all the squeezing I had to do with those slaggin mini tools!" Ironhide grumped to Bluestreak.

Bluestreak giggled back, too excited about what he held in his digits to show any concern for Ironhide's ailments.

"It's perfect, Hide! Just perfect. I knew you were the right one to ask to do this. You did a better job than some of the things I've seen Wheeljack make!"

"Considering how I'm still in one piece and all of my internal circuits are still functioning, I might have to agree with ya there, Blue!" Ironhide replied.

Bluestreak's optics looked over the object he was holding, carefully examining the delicate hand made craftsmanship he would've given twenty sensory chips to have been able to make.

"You're lucky, Blue," Ironhide said. "It took me four tries to get the mold right. Five and I would've been done with it."

Bluestreak stared up at the black Autobot. Everyone had so much respect for the battle seasoned veteran who had probably seen more combat than most of the others combined, given how most of them were anything but military savory when they all first began. Besides Optimus, if there was anyone an Autobot wanted to be at his side fighting next to them, it was Ironhide. He showed no mercy on the field and Bluestreak had seen it more than once when a few weary Cons had hastily retreated after seeing the hulking mech start to come after them. He was tough as they came and loyal to no end, a true friend and comrade.

But as Bluestreak stood there, looking at the gift Ironhide had not only agreed to make (even if grudgingly), but put so much effort and skill behind it as well, just made Bluestreak all warm and fuzzy inside.

And before Ironhide could move to avoid it, Bluestreak had reached up and given the Autobot a big hug to show his gratitude, not caring if he was going to end up in the recycling pile out back.

Caught highly off guard, Ironhide finally patted the young Autobot on his shoulder and then pulled back abruptly.

"Alright, alright…enough of that!" He told Bluestreak.

"Thank you so much, Ironhide, thank you, thank you!"

"Just don't be dropping it and stepping on it because I will NOT be making another one, understand?"

Bluestreak nodded and then turned, skipping happily outside of the med bay.

* * *

"Is everything okay? I came as soon as I checked my email at home and saw the one you sent me saying it was urgent," Kate said breathlessly, stepping into Bluestreak's quarters.

She had checked her email about a half hour after she had gotten home from work and was slightly alarmed by the urgent tone, hoping Bluestreak was okay. She knew everyday was a new day for the Autobot crew that never knew when a surprise ambush was going to take place from Starscream or any of the other Decepticons.

Hurriedly, Kate had changed her work clothes, putting on a pair of jeans and a fitted t shirt. After massaging Maggie behind the ear, telling her she would be back soon, seeing the dog wag her whole body from the excitement of having her owner back from her work day, Kate headed out.

Seeing the flowers she had sent sitting in the open on Bluestreak's desk, Kate smiled.

"I'm glad they came okay. The flower place said it might be a day or so, so I wasn't really sure when you would get them. Did Ratchet get his okay?"

"Yep. I really liked what you wrote on the card to me, Kate," Bluestreak replied shyly.

Kate smiled up at him again. "It's the truth, every last word…now…what's going on?"

"Here, sit," Bluestreak said to her as he gently picked her up and sat her down on his recharge bed.

"Close your eyes," he told her.

Kate did as she was told.

"Okay, open them."

Lowering his finger down to her, Kate saw a teeny, tiny round metal trinket of some sort that barely fit on the top of it. And as Bluestreak brought it down to her level, Kate's eyes got huge.

"It's a necklace. When I was injured and had to stay on the base, I would surf around on the internet to pass the time and came across a few sites that made these. I thought they were really pretty, so I asked Hide if he would make one just like the picture I had shown him. He didn't want to do it. He said it would burn his optics out, but I finally convinced him to,"

"Oh, Blue…" Kate uttered softly.

She had never been a jewelry type of person. The two carat diamond and platinum wedding set David had given her was the extent of her jewelry collection. Half the time she didn't even wear it when she was married (which annoyed David to no end) because she felt it was too big with the center emerald cut stone and the diamonds set around it on both sides. She was just a simple kind of girl, she guessed.

But the finely crafted piece of jewelry Bluestreak held out to her was glorious and beautiful without a doubt, superbly crafted with a skill Kate had never seen in any jewelry store. Similar to the herringbone style that human jewelers made, the necklace was thicker in width, simply designed, silver in color and highly polished, reflecting the light from the overheard lights above.

"It's a Cybertronian alloy carbonized element. It's very lightweight and easy to work with. Sunny, when he was an artist back home, use to use a lot of it because it could be shaped so easily but yet is highly durable and flame resistant…not that you want to be walking into any flames or anything…but it's nearly indestructible, almost at least, so you won't ever have to worry about it breaking. The websites said a lot of human jewelry is made from gold, silver, and platinum alloys, but we don't have any of that here on the base. I hope that's okay. Hide made the clasp magnetic so it goes on easier because some of those other closure clasps looked really difficult," Bluestreak said.

Kate was speechless. All she could do was hold it in hands and look at it. And when Kate held it up to the light, she saw tiny fine carvings in the metal. They looked like symbols of some sort that she couldn't understand.

"What are these, Blue?"

"Oh! I forgot! I saw a lot of jewelry pieces online where you could engrave them so I had Hide do the same. I think that's what made his fingertips so sore! It's in our native Cybertronian language. It says, 'Forever intertwined are we, for all of my spark I give to thee," Bluestreak said.

Tears started rolling down Kate's face. Never in all her life, did she wish _so bad_ things could be different, that there was some type of way to make something be that wasn't possible, at least not in a human sense. She could feel her body throbbing all over from the emotions surging through her.

It hurt so much. She didn't know what was worse…being around someone whom you knew you were meant to be with, hovering so close but yet so far away on a dream of what your heart showed what it wanted…or already being with someone whom you knew wasn't right for you, hoping the dream would begin. Kate guessed that if Satan were to appear and offer to take her soul for one chance, _just one little chance_ to be with the being in front of her, Kate would've been a very soul less, happy, human being.

"Why are you so good to me, Blue?" Kate asked him through her tears as she felt his fingertips brush up against her cheek to try and wipe them away.

Bluestreak's optics looked away suddenly as he thought about his response. None of the Autobots were immune to emotions, even though some wanted to think they were. But they all cared for one another as friends would, as family would, even getting on each other's nerves as families do. Heck, even Decepticons somewhat cared about their fellow comrades to a point.

But Bluestreak also knew about human emotions from being on earth before. He knew they were highly complex, sometimes unstable creatures, more so than any Cybertronian because their emotions were fueled so strong by anger, hate, and most importantly, _love_. Bluestreak was well aware of the fact. He wasn't human nor would he ever be, but he knew how his emotional circuits felt, human or not. And he knew the name to it now.

Kneeling in front of her, looking deep into Kate's eyes that were patiently waiting for his response, Bluestreak replied softly, "Because I love you, Kate."

Putting the necklace on, Kate felt how it laid so nice against her skin, like it had always been a part of her.

Reaching out her hand, Kate took her fingers and stroked the side of Bluestreak's face gently as he let out a small sigh of complete contentment. Moving closer to him, Kate leaned forward and gave him a soft, simple kiss on his cheek, pulling back to look deep into his optics.

"I love you too, Blue," Kate whispered.


	18. Insubordination

**Chapter 17**

"Kate loved it, Hide! Did I already thank you for making it? She had fluid coming out of her eyes, you know, crying, she liked it so much," Bluestreak said, driving up next to the black pickup truck happily.

"Wonderful, kid, now get back in formation," Ironhide growled back lowly.

Falling behind the weapons specialist obediently, Bluestreak continued following Jazz's lead. They had been driving along the highway for about thirty five cycles, getting closer and closer to the main human city with every passing stride of their tires. Feeling his internal processors on total alert and his body start to shudder nervously, Bluestreak tried thinking about Kate to calm himself down, seeing her face in his memory logics and what she had told him only a few days back.

"Hopefully we won't have to get too close to where the humans are, but if it's Screamer out there, we may have to take our chances. Energy signatures are reading off the scale," Jazz called out.

"Optimus said there were two of them," Ironhide replied.

Suddenly, Jazz felt his sensor start to pick up something else.

"Whoa! Make that four!" Jazz exclaimed.

Seeing a few cars on the other side of the road pass them, Bluestreak spoke up nervously, "Four? Are you sure?"

Jazz ran another quick energy scan to be sure.

"They're definitely here. Scans are getting more intense as we get closer."

"Closer to who exactly, Lt.?" Ironhide asked then.

"Looks like it's Skywarp for sure," Jazz said.

"This way!" the silver Autobot announced suddenly, pulling a sharp turn to the left, going off into where the desert land started next to the main highway they had been on.

Following suit, Ironhide and Bluestreak all cruised behind, their tires kicking up a dust cloud on the loose dirt and pebbles. Driving along the dirt terrain for a little bit longer, rocky cliffs and majestic high rising canyons surrounding them, the Autobot team came to a small narrow opening that was overshadowed by two massive rocky cliffs on both sides, restricting any open view to the side except for what was directly in front of them.

Transforming onto his feet, Jazz turned to his two comrades who did the same, putting up his hand for them to stop in their tracks.

Quickly, Ironhide had both of his arm cannons out, charged and ready as ever, looking more or less like he was on his way to getting a good filter change, he was _that_ at home with the situation at hand.

Bringing his gun out, Bluestreak brought all power to his shoulder cannons, looking nervously around, his internal energy sensor telling him there were definite unfriendlies in the area ahead.

As softly as he could, Jazz walked over to the little opening and peered around, trying to use the cliffs as a way to keep their cover from being blown.

"Ironhide, Blue…take positions over there and there," Jazz said pointing to the other side of the opening.

Peering back around, Jazz could see Skywarp off in the far distance ahead, in the open desert land, the human city not even five miles away. And the black F-22 Raptor was not alone. With him stood Blackout and Barricade. And as Jazz focused his optics closer, he saw what had the three Decepticons out and about.

With his arms tied behind him with a type of Cybertronian tubular shackling, was Thundercracker, badly damaged, struggling like fraggin' mad to break free and go after his captors with a fiery vengeance.

"Holy Slag!" Jazz exclaimed.

"What Jazz? What is it?" Bluestreak asked, his voice low.

Making sure the spark extractor sensor was activated on his gun, Jazz quickly held it up in the direction of the Decepticons and saw it read negative.

_Thank the matrix for that!_ Jazz thought to himself.

"It's Warp, Blackout and Barricade. They've got TC out there, tied down. Looks like they've thrashed the living spark out of him almost," Jazz replied.

"Speaking of, how bout' them spark extractors? Do they have them?" Ironhide asked.

Jazz shook his head no.

"Jazz to base," the second in command radioed.

"Go ahead," Optimus's voice came back quickly. "What's the situation?"

"Three Cons at these coordinates," Jazz said as his internal diagnostic computer uploaded and sent the data. "Looks like they've got TC tied down and are about to do some serious rearranging to his CPU in a few nanoclicks here. No spark extractors detected. Do we engage them?"

"Negative, Lt." Optimus voice boomed back. "Sit tight until Bumblebee and I get out there and then we shall handle the matter then."

Jazz nodded. "Understood."

* * *

Thundercracker wasn't having the best of days. Matter of fact, as he stood with his arms tied behind him like a prisoner of war (which in a way, he guessed he was), his armor badly ripped open in the front, half his right wing torn to shreds, and various lubricating fluids leaking out of him all over the place, he thought the day was really starting to slag aft at the present moment in time. 

He had known full well, since double crossing Starscream that night, downloading the spark extractor information, and rescuing the human, the consequences of it all. It would come. It was just a matter of time.

It had started off alright, like any other day, flying around, practicing a few new aerial moves, and flying a formation with the one human F-16 Falcon fighting unit that was stationed a little ways away from where the Autobot base was.

When Thundercracker had first come back to earth, he had found the tactical fighting unit flying on a routine training exercise simply by chance. Immediately, he was fascinated (and even a little impressed) by their talent for their complicated yet totally controlled dog fighting skills in the air. And what amazed him even more was how they all worked together as a _team, _something Thundercracker couldn't say he knew much about. It wasn't long after that, Thundercracker found himself trying to sneak away from his duties, putting up a human hologram pilot in the cockpit to join them in the wild blue yonder.

And after the battle where Starscream had almost succeeded in taking Jazz offline, word quickly spread throughout the higher ranks of the human military about the alien's presence on earth. The latter of which worked in Thundercracker's favor with several of the F-16 fighter pilots within the tactical group intrigued by the quiet alien that only seemed interested in flying, allowing him to come to their hanger if minor repairs or routine maintenance were needed, or as of late, to recharge, leaving him alone and never asking questions.

He wanted to be independent. Do his _own _thing. Answer to no one. Take to the sky and be free. Look at the sunset from 20,000 feet and not worry about being ridiculed or being told to do something that usually ended up half slagged to pieces anyway. But most of all, he wanted to _not_ have to deal with being told to kill on command, organic or Cybertronian, just because it was something to do. Thundercracker was tired. Killing because there was no other way was one thing, _a necessity he could live with_, doing it for the sheer pleasure, was another.

The more time spent away from his Decepticon buddies (_especially_ that arrogant no good for nothing' slaggin' Starscream),Thundercracker started to feel, for once, his existence had a purpose that went beyond being controlled by another over him.

But when he heard the helicopter behind him this morning, Thundercracker knew it was going to be another long day where his independence was going to be put to yet another test.

After discovering Blackout was _not_, amazingly enough, carrying Scorponok with him, Thundercracker figured on just leaving him in his after burn (unless he was fired upon), knowing how much heavier of a payload and slower the helicopter was. And after turning on all thrust to his engines, leaving Blackout in a cloud, Thundercracker was sure he was in the clear until Skywarp appeared out of virtually no where.

Apprehensive for not wanting to fire on a comrade once considered like a brother, Thundercracker figured he would try his best aerial moves to try and shake the black Raptor from following him, but Skywarp _did not_ share his sense of sentimentalism and fired three sidewinder missiles, one hitting his wing, the other two hitting his canopy. And before he had anytime to react with a counter attack, Thundercracker was being pulled down to the ground by a tag team of his former wing mate and Blackout, Barricade on the ground to join them in their little reunion.

"Tell me Warp, you think Screamer gives a slaggin' hoot about you, _brother_?" Thundercracker seethed to his former wing mate.

"It's not about what Screamer wants. It's about what it means to be a Decepticon, something that has obviously slipped your logic circuits, _traitor_," Skywarp shot back.

"Or rather being appointed that coveted title of second in command, isn't that right?" Thundercracker hissed.

"We Decepticons are ruled by _no one! _Starscream has reminded us of our _rightful_ place we are entitled to! The Autobots will never taste surrender from us, only their own sparks being crushed!" Blackout shouted at the damaged grey Seeker.

Thundercracker ignored him, looking at Skywarp instead.

"We once followed one of the greatest leaders Cybertron and the Decepticon forces ever knew, _Megatron_. And now this arrogant, junk pile who couldn't lead a copper alloy coil to a recycling pit has taken over and you think that's kickin'? You really think Screamer cares about the Decepticon agenda? He cares nothing about it except his own legacy which he thinks goes by the name of Starscream, Great and Rightful Leader of the Decepticons! Piffle on that! And if that's what the rest of you want to be a part of, then go, _BUT I WILL NOT BE A PART OF IT NO MORE!_"

"Then you can meet your demise out here, _alone_, just the way you want it, traitor!" Blackout hissed.

_Yep, this day is getting worse and worse,_ Thundercracker concluded to himself as he saw Blackout's fists plunge directly into his injuries, making the Seeker fall backward onto the ground, groaning in horrible pain. And as the helicopter was about to pounce again, Thundercracker reacted quickly, despite being injured and shackled, kicking him viciously in the side, making the Decepticon roll onto the ground, no more than a little stunned.

Standing in front of Thundercracker, his arm missiles online and aimed, Skywarp shook his head.

"It didn't have to be this way, TC. It really didn't. But this was _your _choice," the black Raptor said with a small amount of truthful pity to his tone.

"Get him up," Skywarp commanded to Barricade and Blackout.

And as they grabbed the grey Seeker onto his feet, Thundercracker sighed. Anymore heavy damage without repairs coming soon was not going to be good. Looking away from the missiles pointed at him, Thundercracker decided now was as good as any to accept his fate and be done with it.

* * *

"They're gonna slag TC!" Bluestreak said suddenly, his optics wide, after having finally peered around the cliffs they had been hiding behind, seeing everything that had just transpired. 

"Wonder what the probability of getting _all_ of them to do that to each other would be," Ironhide mumbled.

"Jazz?" Bluestreak asked, looking back out to Skywarp who was standing in front of Thundercracker, missiles aimed.

Jazz shook his head no.

"We've got orders, Blue," Jazz said firmly.

"But…"

"No! That's a direct order from Optimus!"

Bluestreak got quiet then. And as he looked back in the direction of the Decepticon party going on a ways out, he didn't know what came over him. It was like slow motion, watching himself from a far, not being able to stop it.

Maybe it was because of how nervous he was feeling. After all, nervous can really do a job on the circuits. Maybe it was because of the misunderstanding in the corridor when Kate was injured. Or maybe because, deep down, there was a small amount of pity for the Decepticon who was caught in between what he wanted to do, what he could do, and what he _had_ to do.

As Bluestreak saw Skywarp aiming for Thundercracker, before he could recall them, the young gunner had locked onto his target and fired two shots, directly aiming for Skywarp's arm, hitting the missile offline and taking half his extremity with it.

"WHAT THE SLAG ARE YOU DOING, BLUE?" Jazz shouted at him, his voice more or less surprised than angry.

But whatever arguing that was about to ensue, Jazz saw would have to wait as three angry Decepticons headed toward them, dropping what they had been busy with, all weapons fully loaded, their optics fired with a red fury at being interrupted.

"Slag! I'll take Warp…Hide, Blackout…Blue, Barricade..." Jazz instructed.

Transforming, the Pontiac Solstice took off, not wanting to disappoint the three Decepticons as Ironhide and Bluestreak followed behind, knowing they had no other choice but to hold them off until Optimus and Bumblebee arrived.

* * *

Bluestreak sat silently at the table in the middle of the command center, his head down in tumultuous agonizing guilt. Having told everyone to leave them be, Optimus turned to the gunner, his optics serious, Jazz standing next to him with his arms crossed still in disbelief. Off in the distance, Bluestreak heard Ratchet and Captain Lansing trying to repair Thundercracker, whom they had managed to bring back still online. 

"Bluestreak, you are the last one I thought would ever do this…Sunny and Sideswipe, yes, even Smokescreen, but not _you_," Optimus began. "You deliberately disobeyed a direct order from your superior officer and worse yet, put the lives of every one of your comrades in grave danger."

"I know," Bluestreak replied, his voice small and quivering. "I'm so sorry, Optimus. I just thought since Screamer wasn't there and there were three of them and three of us and it looked like they were going to scrap TC…"

"And that was the point of my direct orders. You had no idea where Starscream was. He could've been on his way with Scorponok, Ravage, and Frenzy, which means you would've been highly outnumbered. And they could've been armed with spark extractors. We wouldn't have let them take Thundercracker offline, but the decision to make the move was up to Jazz, _not you_."

Sighing, Optimus' optics lightened some, giving off the impression this was not a favorite aspect to the job.

"Bluestreak, you are an exceptional example of an Autobot and an exceptional, reliable fighter on the field," the Autobot leader said a little lighter. "It was noble that you wanted to help save Thundercracker. Perhaps the favor is returned after him saving Kate. But your insubordination can not go unpunished. You are confined to the base on clean up duty for the next three solar cycles, and if you pull another stunt like that again, I will prohibit any visitation from Kate, is that clear?"

Bluestreak nodded.

"Dismissed."

* * *

Kate headed down the hallway to Bluestreak's quarters, looking forward to seeing him. He had emailed her a couple days before saying how something had come up and that he wouldn't be able to see her for a few days. Kate understood. She knew it must've been something very important for him not to be able to spend any time with her. Her only hope was that it was nothing too serious. 

Getting half way to Bluestreak's door, Kate heard a voice call out behind her. _Mike._ Nervously, Kate stood still. They hadn't talked since he left her house that one night a little while back and Kate felt awkward at trying to talk to him, always meticulously avoiding him whenever she came to visit Bluestreak.

"How are you? Ratchet, he told me about Maggie. How is she?" He asked her.

"She's good! Kind of hopped a bit for the first day, I think it felt weird to her or something…but other than that, she still grabs her toys in her mouth and runs to the door like a bat out of hell if there's a noise she hears," Kate replied.

Mike laughed then. "She's a great dog, Kate. You couldn't have taken her anywhere better to be helped. Gives all those vets a run for their money, huh?"

Kate laughed then. "Yeah, no doubt about that!"

They both laughed a bit, a tight laugh that hid so much more.

"You look beautiful as always, Kate," Mike said to her then, looking into her brown eyes. "I've really missed you. The Southwest Native American Pow Wow was going on last weekend and I thought about you because I know you said how you wanted to go."

Kate had forgotten all about that. She loved Native American culture and every year before the pow wow had came to the city, she had missed it.

"I know you've been trying to avoid me. It's okay. I understand. But have you thought…about anything…we last talked about?"

Kate stood still.

"I can't, Mike. I just can't…I know that sounds bad…but I…"

"Kate," Mike said, stepping closer to her, cupping her face in his hands. "You can't keep doing this to yourself. It's not healthy."

Kate looked away.

Mike ran his hands through her hair. Kate closed her eyes. His touch...so wonderful and _real_, something that was not a diminished hope of a far off dream that would never come true. She could _embrace_ him, _touch _him, and lose herself within his arms that felt familiar and warm as she felt everything down below start to ache and throb.

Running his hand down to her neck, Mike lightly touched the necklace she was wearing, a silver, polished, piece of jewelry that had intricate symbols engraved in it. He knew who gave it to her. The blue Autobot just about made the black weapons specialist of the group go insane from asking him all the time if the trinket was done yet.

Opening her eyes to the tall, strikingly handsome Captain standing in front of her, Kate watched as he leaned toward her, their lips meeting in a passionate kiss.

* * *

Bluestreak had never seen so much Decepticon scrap in one small area in his whole spark life than he did in the med bay after Ratchet was done repairing Thundercracker. 

Having had to drain most of the Seeker's lubricating, hydraulic, and core compression fluids and refill them with a fresh non contaminated supply, Ratchet filled drum after drum with the excess as Bluestreak took them out and loaded them onto the human transports for disposal.

Coupled with the fact he had to melt _all _the scrap Ratchet had pulled out of the Seeker's body cavity (excess shrapnel, bits of missile, etc.) so it could be reused for something else, and put everything away that the medic had used (which seemed to be just about everything there was), by the end of his confinement to the base on the third solar cycle, Bluestreak was ready to recharge for about two stellar cycles.

But after lying down to recharge for a little bit, he suddenly woke up and checked his chrono. Kate was coming to see him, although from his chrono, Bluestreak frowned a bit as she seemed to be running unusually late.

_Oh well, I'll just head out to the command center and wait for her there, _Bluestreak thought casually.

Three solar cycles was way too long for him to go without seeing her for even how busy he had been. She was a calming constant in his memory circuits that replayed her face over and over, a type of withdrawal whenever he wasn't with her. As Bluestreak headed out of his quarters to try and fill up on the drug that would subdue him beautifully, he stopped suddenly.

Up a little bit, he saw her, with the Captain, in what looked like an intimate embrace, their mouths touching as Bluestreak watched the Captain caress Kate's neck around the piece of jewelry she wore, _his necklace he had made for her._

And as Bluestreak turned around to head anywhere but there, he heard her voice calling after him.

"Blue, wait!"

Pulling her arm, Mike tried stopping her from following after the Autobot.

"Kate, just let him go. Don't do this to yourself," He said softly.

Shrugging away from him, Kate headed on down the hallway, following Bluestreak into the rec room finally.

"Blue, I didn't…" Kate started and then stopped.

He stood silent, looking at the floor.

"I can't do that for you, Kate," Bluestreak finally said softly. "What he did, like that…I can't do it for you."

"I don't care! That's not what's important to me, you _know_ that," Kate said to him.

"It seemed pretty important to you just now," Bluestreak replied, half in between hurt and matter of factness.

"Blue…" Kate said.

He sighed then and stared at the floor.

"Maybe this was all…a m-mistake…everything…I…I seem to be making a lot of those lately…you know, from not thinking things through," Bluestreak stammered suddenly.

"What are you talking about? What _mistake_?" Kate said.

"When we were on earth before, none of us really got involved with the humans. I mean some of us had a few humans they called friends but the rest of us just saw it better if we didn't get too involved beyond trying to do our duty. Looking at it now…I think maybe they were right," he replied solemnly.

"Are you serious?" Kate spat.

"Blue, are you _serious_?"

"Please tell me you're just pulling a very unfunny joke on me."

Bluestreak stood silent.

"No," He said finally. "No, I'm not."

"I can't believe you're telling me this! You really don't believe that, do you? That everything between you and I is a _mistake_? How can you say that…after…after everything?"

"Have you mated with the Captain?" Bluestreak finally asked her, his optics serious.

Kate got quiet.

"That's fucking rude and I don't have to answer that, Blue."

"_Have you?_"

Silence.

"_Have you?"_

"YES!"

Bluestreak crossed his arms then and looked away from her. "That's my point. I will never be able to do the same for you and maybe it's best if…"

"No! Oh no you don't! Don't you even tell me its best if we don't see each other anymore!" Kate shouted angrily. "Yeah I did that with Mike. But you know what Blue? You know what I thought about when I was with him? Whenever he touched me like that? You know what went through my mind? I kept thinking about _you _and how I wished so bad, how I would've given anything for it to have been _you_ instead!"

"Yeah, well, that's not possible, is it?" Bluestreak replied coldly. "There's no future for us, _none_."

Kate felt her anger starting to boil over at this new wave of stubborn indifference coming from him. If the blue Autobot standing before her wasn't so damn huge, Kate swore she would've smacked the metal right off of him then.

"You know what? I'm outta here. Fuck this bullshit. If you think this is all a mistake, then whatever, fine. Don't let me stop you. And if you think that being physical is the only thing that matters to me, then maybe you really don't know me that well after all, Blue."

And with that, having had enough, Kate turned on her heels, and walked out of the rec room, leaving Bluestreak to ponder all that was just said.


	19. Connection

**Chapter 18**

Rain drops outside, a soft nature song showering the night sky. In the distance, thunder and lightening struck, making the inside of Kate's bedroom glow with a peculiar, eeriness.

Seven days. _Seven whole days_. 168 hours. That's how long it had been since the whole dreadful blow up with Bluestreak. But to Kate, it felt like forever and then some as she lay in her bed, replaying what she had done the night before, when she had been in Mike's arms, seeking comfort…seeking shelter from the storms brewing inside that could only be calmed by one particular young Autobot gunner.

And as the rain poured harder, hitting the glass with a soft _pitter patter, _mounds of guilt washed over Kate. She had done it because she had been angry. Because, in Bluestreak's last words, _there was no future_ between them, _none_, just a lost string of scattered memories, a bundle of effortless mistakes that should have never been made in the first place.

When Kate had first made the call to Mike, all she wanted was to talk, to try and convince herself how she had been slipping off the deep end after all, treading down a dead end path for ever getting so caught up with Bluestreak and _actually_ thinking there was something between them.

But when Mike finally got to Kate's house, all plans of talking flew out the door and within no time it seemed, they were in her bed, bodies wrapped around each other, breaths together as one.

Kate had enjoyed it…_all of it_…Mike, pushing her to the edge of ecstasy…their physical fit so perfect and _natural_. And as she stiffled her moans into her pillow, her finger nails pressing deeper into Mike's back, Kate clung to him with a desperate yearning to be convinced that he was everything to her.

But the running could only last so long. As soon as they had finished, Kate laid there in a daze, absently touching the necklace she wore, wanting nothing more than to be lying in that grassy meadow once again with Bluestreak, feeling the warmth of his spark beneath her.

"Kate, what is it?" Mike had asked her.

She rolled onto her side away from him, pulling the sheets around her, tears starting to form. Gently, Mike touched her back, but Kate pulled away.

"Kate, you deserve to be happy. I want to be a part of that happiness with you. Just let it go with Bluestreak. Let it go," Mike pleaded softly.

"_I can't_. _I've tried, but I can't_," Kate replied tearfully. "_I love him_."

Hearing a huge sigh come from Mike, Kate felt him get out of the bed and start to get dressed.

"You can't do this forever, Kate. You can't. I don't want to see you hurt. It's not fair to you and it's not fair to him."

"I'm willing to take that chance," was her soft reply.

Sighing again, Kate heard him head downstairs, and as her front door opened and then slammed shut, a huge sigh of relief fell upon her.

Replaying it all, Kate listened to the rain outside. _Is this it? Is this what it means to be human? To only exist for a romp in between the sheets? _

With Bluestreak, it was so much more. The only words that came to mind to even begin to describe it were _soul mate_ and Kate wondered if it might've run even deeper than that, if that were possible.

Getting out of bed, Kate headed into the room where her computer was. Pressing the space bar on her keyboard, she waited until the system came out of hibernation and then proceeded to get onto the internet where her email account was.

Bringing up the email address Bluestreak had given her awhile back (which, for whatever reason, Kate never did find out why, started off with _spotonsmooth_), Kate sat quietly, thinking. She fought the urge to send anything all week, but that fight had now been lost as she began typing, figuring she was going to take her chances on a reply.

_Dear Blue:_

_I'm sorry, for everything. I know how much it must've hurt you and I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything I said. It was out of anger from hearing what you told me, that's all. Please forgive. I've been thinking about you everyday. I can barely sleep. I'm totally behind at work. I want to see you. And it's killing me. I've never thought anything between us was a mistake, never._

_You once told me a long time ago when we first met Optimus believes freedom is the right to all sentient beings._

_Give me that freedom now, Blue, the freedom for me to choose to be with you. _

_Since I am no match for giving any justice to what I feel, I've included some lyrics to a favorite song of mine that says it all: _

_Every moment marked  
with apparitions of your soul.  
I'm ever swiftly moving,  
trying to escape this desire,  
the yearning to be near you.  
I do what I have to do.  
The yearning to be near you.  
I do what I have to do._

_A glowing ember, burning hot,  
and burning slow.  
Deep within, I'm shaken by the violence  
of existing for only you._

_And I have the sense to recognize  
But I don't know how to let you go.  
I don't know how to let you go._

_I hope you'll respond to this email. If not, if that's what you want, I will let it go. _

_I love you, Blue._

_Kate_

Rereading it over one more time, Kate pressed the "send" button and then headed back to bed.

* * *

Optimus Prime stood in the command center, waiting, having dismissed the rest of his crew early for the night.

Ratchet had settled into his quarters to catch up on the latest updated repair manual transmissions from Cybertron. When he was repairing Jazz, he downloaded the files every earth day but after he was done, he started to get a little lax. Ironhide, Bumblebee, and Jazz all settled into the rec room, bickering about what to watch, and Bluestreak remained in his quarters, which Optimus had noted as of late, was something the young gunner had been doing a lot of. The Autobot commander guessed it probably had something to do with the difficult and sometimes rocky relationship he seemed to have with the human named Kate he was so fond of.

Finally, Optimus saw the grey Seeker head into the command center, surprised by his punctuality.

Thundercracker nodded dryly to the Autobot leader as he stood in front of him.

"Prime…"

"How have you been doing, TC?"

Thundercracker shrugged, a sly grin across him.

"Eh…you know…same ole, same ole'…almost getting slagged to pieces by your ex best friend, being patched up by your sworn enemy…and then being in the fine presence of yourself…sounds like a kickin' day to me."

Optimus gave off a slight laugh at Thundercracker's round about way of a joke.

"That motor mouth gunner of yours…he saved my tailpipe," Thundercracker said.

Optimus nodded. "Despite breaking a direct order, I would say that yes he did indeed save your tailpipe."

"You punish him for the insubordination, I suppose?"

"Minorly, yes."

Thundercracker smirked some. "An Autobot taking heat over me? I think I like that."

"Bluestreak did it because you had once made a noble and brave decision yourself on behalf of him, this planet, its inhabitants, and _all _Cybertronians."

Thundercracker got silent then, all snippy comments evading him. Compliments never did run rampant when he had served with Megatron. Besides hearing about how much of a screw up he was and occasionally the "I'm going to recycle your transistors and stick them up your wind intake" bit if something didn't go as planned, that was as good as it got for actual compliments.

Thundercracker laughed out loud to himself as he repeated Optimus' words. "Me, noble? Anyways…"

"You can't fight this alone, TC," Optimus said.

Thundercracker let out a huge weighted sigh. And for the first time, Optimus saw the complete burden, confusion, and _emptiness_ the Seeker felt.

"I'm not an Autobot, Prime," came the Seeker's sullen reply.

"Does that really matter now? Does labeling yourself override what your logic circuits tell you? That purple Decepticon insignia you bear on your chest only signifies what you thought was right at the time. Change is never a definite fixture, TC. I've known you long enough and I think you've always known what was right."

"Why? Because I was the least destructive out of all the Decepticons?"

"No," Optimus said. "Because you questioned their cause."

Looking up at the Autobot leader, Thundercracker felt a small pang of resentment toward himself. He had indeed questioned their cause, more times than he cared to admit. It burned in him to the point that sometimes when he was out on a mission, all he could worry about was the outcome of whatever destruction he was about to bring forth.

Optimus read Thundercracker's hesitation as he imagined how difficult it had been all this time for the Decepticon.

"You don't have to be ashamed about wanting something greater than yourself."

Thundercracker lowered his head some, knowing the full truths the Autobot leader's comment held.

* * *

_God, I hope I look okay_, Kate thought worriedly as she walked down the corridor of the Autobot base. Passing the command center, she caught sight of Optimus Prime engaged in a serious discussion with the Decepticon, Thundercracker. Not wanting to disturb them, Kate tip toed as quietly as she could and headed to Bluestreak's quarters farther on down the way.

The last two days had been nerve racking. Everyday, at work, at home, she checked her email like seven times. And when she was getting ready to finally head to bed, out of sheer obsession, Kate checked her inbox again and saw a message waiting for her from Bluestreak. He wanted to see her.

Having put on a dressy silver and black top that was cut low in the front, low slung black dress pants, and a pair of sling back pointy pumps, Kate couldn't help but to feel as if she was going on a "date" with the young gunner, with the meticulous way she took in curling her hair, putting on makeup (that she rarely ever wore) and the same perfume she had worn the night she tried playing keep away with Bluestreak's screwdriver.

And when she stood in front of his door to knock on it, Kate found herself almost unable to do it from being so nervous.

_It's just Blue! What the hell do I have to be nervous about?_

Taking a deep breath in, Kate knocked quietly.

Finally the door slid open.

"Hi, Blue," Kate said softly.

Bluestreak had been going crazy from waiting for her to finally get there, having surfed just about every site there was on the internet ranging from what the weather was going to be like to how to build a storage shed, to pass the time until he would be standing there with her again, looking deep into her eyes.

And as he watched her come into his personal space, the door sliding shut behind her, cutting off all noise and outside contact with anything else, Bluestreak felt his internal circuits start to rush like mad.

Breathing in deeply that scent, that _same_ scent, Bluestreak felt it float up to his olfactory sensors, putting crazy ideas of what he _wished_ he could do to her from seeing some things on the internet that had described human intimacy. Not too mention, how she looked like a heavenly vision come to life with what she had on and the necklace he had made for her, glistening brightly around her neck.

"I was so happy to read your email. I didn't know if you would reply…given how we left everything…and everything I said to you…you know I didn't mean _any _of it, Blue, don't you?" Kate's eyes pleaded desperately.

Bluestreak just stood still, looking down at her. Kate wished she could've read his mind to see what he was thinking at that moment in time.

"I know you said you thought everything was a mistake, and I can see how you would think that…after seeing me with Mike…but I don't feel for him what I feel for you. I don't care about you not being able to touch me like he did. I don't care about any of it. I just want to be able to be around you…that's all…that's all I want. And if that means I'm not with another human man again, then fine," Kate continued, wanting to get everything out she had been thinking about for the past week, everything that had kept her up through the night.

"_I would rather stand in front of you Blue for an eternity, never touching, than never be around you at all_," Kate added softly, her eyes starting to get misty.

Bending down finally, Bluestreak picked her up gently, his fingers enclosing around her as he sat her on his recharge bed, kneeling down so they could be on each other's level.

Resting his hands toward the edge of his bed, Kate sitting in between them, Bluestreak leaned into her gently, feeling her hands start to caress the sides of his face, his sensors registering her touch as one of the most truly wonderful things he had ever felt since having been created to come online.

Feeling her planting small, warm kisses all over his cheek, Bluestreak breathed every bit of her in, letting the fragrance drip through his intakes, closing his optics to the electrifying sensation racing through him. Stroking his chin lightly in her tiny hands, Kate leaned in and placed a long, much thought about kiss on his lips that seemed to reciprocate the gesture like any other human would've in return.

Opening his optics, Bluestreak saw Kate hop down and come stand next to him, her eyes filled with a powerful emotion that said he had all of her and no one else could ever come close to getting in between.

"Sit still, Blue," Kate whispered to him.

"Okay," Bluestreak obeyed without question, wondering what she was going to do.

Feeling her hands travel down his side, fingers stroking lightly here and there, Bluestreak felt Kate's hands stop _at that spot_. Seeing what she had been searching for, remembering exactly how it looked, Kate took her finger and stroked the outside of it, feeling it start to vibrate even more from her touch.

"_Primus, Kate_!" Bluestreak gasped. "Don't…"

"Ssh, Blue…" Kate soothed. "I want to do this."

Giving in, his will power totally slagged, Bluestreak knelt there, as he felt Kate take her fingers in a circular motion around the wiring, making the young gunner feel like his CPU was going to convulse right inside him, his internal circuitry and sensors starting to heat and throb in places he didn't even know existed.

If Kate had been a femme bot right then and there, she would've been pinned down on the ground, arms above her head, while Bluetreak proceeded to drive that connector so deep into her, it would've made her optics stay rolled to the back of her head for four solar cycles. There would've been _no_ dropping it then. And as he felt his body start to quiver and shake, little tiny pleasurable gasps and moans emitting from him, Bluestreak had half a logic circuit to do it _anyway_, if he knew it wouldn't have hurt her and that she would've enjoyed it the same as he.

As her fingers kept their gentle, massaging motion, pressing lightly, a quick burst of fluid rushed through Bluestreak's system, flooding every single hose, connecting joint, and reservoir inside as he shrunk back somewhat, the pent up release over powering him as a feeling of deep satisfaction seeped through him.

Seeing Bluestreak's reaction, Kate hopped back up onto his bed and sat, looking at him as he tried crouching closer to her.

Putting her hand to touch him, feeling his body shaking somewhat, Kate said softly, "Oh my God, Blue…you're _trembling_…are you okay?"

The young gunner nodded, still trying to get his logic circuits straight.

"Yes, I'll be fine, Kate." He finally said.

Pulling his face closer to her, Kate pressed her lips to his, as Bluestreak put his head down, resting part of it on her chest as she felt him breathe out slowly, trying to get his body to calm down.

* * *

"So?"

"So what?"

"What do you think?"

"About what?"

"If we mated for life. Isn't that what humans do?"

"You mean being married?"

"Yeah, that…okay."

Kate was laying on Bluestreak's recharge bed, facing him, his fingers touching her hair, a giddy grin on him that Kate couldn't tell was from the release he felt an hour ago or from her being there with him.

"You don't want to be married to me, Blue."

"Why?"

"I'm not a good wife."

"Who says?"

"Me."

"That's not a good enough excuse."

"Yeah, well that's all you're gonna get!"

Bluestreak thought for a minute. "I think I would be a good life mate for you. I can fix things, kinda, when the tools aren't slipping out of my hands…they seem to do that a lot. And I'm pretty handy with a computer…I can install a satellite component like no one's business! Prowl taught me to do that back on Cybertron awhile ago. Wheeljack tried but he said he was going to bust a logic circuit from having to show me a hundred times."

Kate laughed then. "Well, shit, you _are_ the perfect husband, aren't you?"

Bluestreak beamed proudly. "Hey, can I help it if this is spot on smooth perfection?"

"Spot on smooth my ass, Blue. More like someone's ego is a little kinked up," Kate chuckled.

"Nope…that's Sunstreaker," Bluestreak replied.

Giving him a playful smack on his chest, Kate laid on her back, sighing. It was getting late. Thank goodness it was Friday evening because she _so_ did _not _want to go sit in a stuffy office with even stuffier co workers after tonight.

"Don't say it, Kate."

Kate looked back over to Bluestreak.

"Say what?"

"That you have to go."

"It's getting late."

Bluestreak took her hand and held it.

"I have to."

"You can stay here, with me."

"You mean sleep here? Next to you, here?"

"Yeah."

Kate got a funny look on her then. "What if you roll on me in the middle of the night and crush me? How would you live with yourself then?"

"Well, as soon as you started screaming your head off, I would know."

"I snore."

"Okay."

"I talk in my sleep."

"Is it about me?"

Kate smacked him again. "Blue!"

Kate sighed again, seeing she was not winning. "Let me go home real quick, let Maggie out, and grab a few things, like a blanket and a pillow!"

Getting up, Bluestreak gently took Kate in his hands and set her down.

"I'll drive you home! I know how to get there…memorized the directions from the first time I was there."

"You just want me to ride you," Kate said to him.

Not understanding the innuendo, Bluestreak replied slowly, "If you want, okay…my alt mode rides smooth."

Kate laughed then as Bluestreak looked at her blankly.

"Never mind, let's go," she said to him.

* * *

Thundercracker was just about to get going. He had a lot to think about. From actually getting to really talk with Optimus without all the gunfire and mayhem surrounding them, the Seeker saw exactly why his crew followed him the way they did. He just wasn't an excellent (if not the best) hand to hand fighter in combat, but also extremely patient and _wise_.

And as he turned to head out, he heard laughing coming from the corridor seeing Bluestreak appear with the human he had rescued. Watching intently their interaction with one another, Thundercracker saw Bluestreak bend down in front of the human as she put her face up to his, her lips doing something weird to the gunner.

Turning back to Optimus, who seemed just as entertained, Thundercracker spat out, "That there has to be one of the most disturbing things my optics has ever seen, Prime."

Giving a hearty laugh to the Seeker's obvious uncomfortable stance, they watched as the two mismatched love birds headed out.

**Music Credit/Reference**

_**"Do What You Have To" - Written and Recorded by Sarah McGlaughlin**_

**Author's End Notes:**

_**The dialogue Kate says to Blue, "**__I would rather stand in front of you Blue for an eternity..." __**is actually a slight play and modification on a quote from director Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" when Chow Yun Fat's character tells Michelle Yeoh's character, "**__I would rather be a ghost floating at your side than to never be around at all" __**or something to that effect as I can't remember the exact quote. **_

_**I just remember thinking how beautiful and simple it sounded.**_

_**To everyone reading, thanks so much! If you haven't already, please feel more than free to leave a few syllables on the review page.**_

_**K.D.B.**_


	20. Spades

**Chapter 19**

The chair wasn't really meant for a Cybertronian, let alone a Cybertronian _and_ a human. But as Bluestreak sat in the rec room with Kate draped across his lap in the most comfortable position she could possibly find, resting her head on his arm, the seating arrangement wasn't working out too bad.

Over the entranceway still hung a banner that read, "Happy Birthday" and a small cooler on the floor left over from one of the human's celebrations the night before, balloons of various colors still taped onto the walls here and there. Bluestreak told Kate they were going to leave the decorations up because it made the room a lot livelier looking.

Maggie lay close by on the cool floor, snoring away, oblivious to her environmental change or the fact her owner was spending nearly every Friday night (and sometimes Saturday depending on how the whole Decepticon situation was at the time) at the base and less and less time at her suburban home.

"Blue, I don't know if I can spend every weekend with you," Kate said to him one Saturday as they walked together around the perimeter of the base outside after he had gotten back on a routine scouting patrol with Bumblebee.

Bluestreak looked hurt. "Why, Kate? It's safe. Starscream knows this place is fortified and that the humans and we will guard it with our lives. I'm not saying it's not possible. With Screamer, _anything _is possible, but I just don't think he would try it knowing how much back up firepower we have here."

Kate laughed then. "No, that's not what I mean. I'm talking about Maggie. I just can't leave her home alone all the time. Dogs are social creatures. They need that companionship. It's not fair to her."

Bluestreak understood. "I see, Kate."

He knew what had to be done.

After a little coaxing to Optimus and amazingly enough, with Captain Lansing's approval, Kate was given the okay to bring Maggie with her whenever she came to visit. The dog's presence seem to lighten the ever present strict and serious mood among the human soldiers who worked there (as the entire human crew had been hand picked by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the President for their dedication, courage, and infantry training capabilities), as some of them would give Maggie dog treats and play fetch with her.

But it was the unseen affection toward the two most unlikely of candidates, Ironhide and Thundercracker (which Kate thought Ratchet was a little on the hurt side, given how he had fixed her leg awhile ago), the yellow Lab had taken a liking to that surprised everyone.

Having tried to ignore the dog to a great degree, Ironhide saw the more he tried to ignore the creature (who could've passed off as Bluestreak's spark put into a dog's body with her ever cheerful attitude), the more the Lab would sit in front of him, tail wagging, _expecting_ to be petted. Huffing and puffing under his breath the whole time, the massive weapons specialist would always end up bending down and petting her head, telling her to "scram" in the process.

Even Thundercracker was mildly subdued around the dog, grumbling scornfully, and then, when the Seeker thought no one was looking, would proceed to bend down to pet her ever so gently, sometimes even managing to get her back leg to start kicking wildly from his gentle massaging.

And as Bluestreak and Kate sat in the chair together watching "Braveheart" on t.v., everyone else was busy with their own thing. Jazz and Bumblebee were on the other side of the room playing a card game, their mugs full of fresh energon. Optimus and Ironhide were busy replying to a few transmissions they received from Cybertron. Ratchet was doing a small routine maintenance job on Thundercracker who said the humans he normally went to didn't have the right throttle cluster, and Maggie slept peacefully close to the one person she knew was her meal provider and ultimate best friend.

With the movie being close to almost over, Bluestreak looked down at Kate and stroked her hair gently, his fingertips gliding through her tresses with ease. Reciprocating the calm, warm gesture, Kate took his hand and rested it on her chest. They had been sitting there going on almost two hours having said very little, too wrapped up in the movie's plot as Bluestreak said he had never seen it before. And when the closing credits finally began to roll on the screen, Bluestreak had a thoughtful expression on him.

"Well, what did you think, Blue? Didn't I tell you it was a good movie?" Kate asked him.

Bluestreak nodded back. "It was good, indeed. I liked it. Made me feel kinda…sad…you know…towards the end…he fought so hard and wasn't there to witness the battle where they won their freedom. It kinda reminds me about the never ending battle we seem to be in against the Decepticons. And the way he felt about his human life mate…" Bluestreak sighed, running his fingertips to Kate's cheek.

"I know. That movie is something else," Kate agreed.

"I was just wondering something."

"Yeah, Blue, what is it?" Kate asked turning to look up at him.

"Well, when William Wallace says 'Every man dies, but not every man really lives', do you believe that?"

Kate thought about it. As many times as she had seen that movie, it never really came across her mind to consider the meaning and the significance behind it.

"I believe that some men are on this earth to live but that they don't really appreciate life and what is given to them. Others I believe are here on this earth and _do _appreciate what they've been given and live their lives to the fullest, but still end up dying anyway."

"That doesn't sound fair. I mean I can understand it. Optimus is always talking about how great causes mean great sacrifices. But it just seems a little short changed, is that the right word, Kate?"

"You can't avoid it, Blue. It's just how human life works."

"I don't know what I would do…if…if…something were to happen to you, Kate. I really don't. I'm always so happy with you. Whenever I'm out on patrol, I always think about the next time I can see you. I don't even get that nervous anymore when I'm out battling Cons…it's a neat feeling."

Taking his one finger, Kate squeezed it lightly, happy for him. "See, I can _do _something right for you!"

Remembering the erotic sensations he had felt when Kate had massaged _the spot_ on him awhile back, Bluestreak thought to himself, _Oh Primus you really don't know the half of it…_

"And don't worry about anything happening to me, Blue," Kate finished. "You can't rid of me that quick!"

Giggling from her remark, Bluestreak nodded and then was suddenly diverted over to the slight good hearted argument arising over Jazz and Bumblebee's card game.

"I don't care, Jazz. That play _was_ legit. You just didn't pay attention."

"There was nothing to pay attention to, Bee. You threw down a queen, so I threw down clubs. That makes it my take."

"And you wonder why no one else wants to play with your farking self on the Play Station."

"I know I'm all that, Bee, and a whole barrel of circuitry to go with it. Your yellow self is jus' in denial."

"My yellow self knows…"

Bumblebee stopped then as he saw Bluestreak and Kate come over to them, curious expressions on their faces.

"What cha' guys playing?" Bluestreak asked lightly.

"Let's Pull a Fast One on the Yellow Autobot," Bumblebee piped up.

Jazz threw a few playing cards at him from across the table.

"Man, Bee, you got me all farked up," Jazz said laughing.

"Oh…I know…another bad round at Best Suit, huh?" Bluestreak asked, grinning knowingly

"No, Blue," Bumblebee replied, glaring intentionally at Jazz. "Another round of Jazz thinking he's right when he's _not_."

"Hey, it's not my fault you're a sore loser," Jazz replied, taking a sip of his energon.

"Well, I wouldn't be if…"

"Hey, have you guys ever played Spades?" Kate spoke up, interrupting their bantering.

"No, Kate. What's that? Is it a type of human card game where Jazz won't be able to cheat?" Bumblebee asked, hopeful, narrowing his blue optics at his comrade in arms.

"Well, it's…" Kate began.

"It's not cheating when its right, Bee," Jazz retorted, cutting Kate off.

"Whatever, Smokey," Bumblebee shot back, referring to their comrade back on Cybertron who was notorious for his cheating ways.

"Here, let me show you. It's fun and it's really easy to learn!" Kate said.

Jazz shrugged and looked at Bumblebee who looked just as interested.

"I'm down for it. You?"

"Yeah, alright…sounds cool enough," Bumblebee replied smiling.

Looking at Bluestreak who was standing next to her, Kate asked, "Blue?"

"Okay, but it may take me a bit to learn it at first…but after a few tries, I should be okay," He replied.

"Good!" Kate replied, smiling as Bluestreak and she sat down across from Jazz and Bumblebee.

"Now, this game works best with teams," Kate explained. "Blue and I will be one and Bumblebee and you can be the other," Kate said looking at Jazz.

She then took the deck of cards from the middle of the table and began explaining the basic rules of what cards trumped each other, how to follow suit, and what were the high and low cards to throw out.

"Now, the object is to obtain the most books, or tricks as some people call them," Kate said, showing them what she meant by that, holding a couple cards in her hand. "Whoever has the most tricks accumulates the most points and wins. It's a pretty fast, easy game. And each hand goes pretty quick as well."

"Sounds easy enough to me!" Jazz said.

"Now…" Kate said her eyes mischievous. "When I was in college, we made this interesting. Whoever lost the hand had to drink a shot of whatever drink they had in front of them. The game ended when someone was on the floor passed out."

Bumblebee laughed then. "Is that a proposition?"

Kate laughed then, her eyes shinning. "I think it might be."

"Girl, you know those are fightin' words, don't cha'?" Jazz asked, grinning.

Kate rolled her eyes at the two Autobots in front of her. "Oh please! When I was in college, I could hold my liquor like a two hundred pound man!"

Jazz nodded then. "Alright, you wanna roll like that, we can. I'll do it for Bumblebee and me, if you'll do it for Blue and you."

"Kate, I don't think…" Bluestreak cautioned, knowing how Jazz was the champion of energon drinking besides Sunstreaker.

"Now, now, let her be, Blue. Besides, we all know how it takes a slaggin' tank full of energon to knock you on your aft. It wouldn't be fair odds," Jazz said.

Suddenly Kate frowned as she looked around the table.

"Well, we might have to put it off all together. There's nothing here for me to drink."

Turning around to the plastic cooler setting on the ground behind them, Bumblebee got up and opened it, bringing back a tall glass bottle and a paper cup. Looking at the glass, Kate saw it read "Johnny Walker Whiskey".

"Will this do?" Bumblebee asked.

Quickly, Bluestreak leaned down to Kate to whisper something to her.

"Kate, I _really_ don't think this is a good idea."

"Relax, Blue. When I was married, we played Spades every Saturday night with a big group of other couples. David and I were the unbeaten champions!"

"Okay, if you say so," Bluestreak replied, still not convinced.

Turning back to Jazz and Bumblebee, Kate smiled and started dealing the cards to get the game started.

* * *

"Anytime now, Bee, anytime," Jazz said, tapping his fingers on the table in front of him.

"Don't rush me! I'm thinking!" Bumblebee replied.

The yellow Autobot looked at Kate and asked, "What's the trump card again?"

"Ace."

"Oh, okay…well there goes that."

Looking over to Bluestreak, Jazz grinned and said, "I think next hand we do a partner switch. You guys have won every one so far and I think I've been dealt an unfair pairing here."

Bluestreak let out an amused giggle and then got serious. "I. Think. Not."

"Okay, okay! Here," Bumblebee finally said, throwing out a card.

And for the next few hands, and five empty energon containers later, Kate beamed at her confidence. Bluestreak caught on right away and was throwing out high cards left and right even when Kate's hand was crappy. But as the next few hands wore on, Jazz and Bumblebee came back, _hard_, winning the next seven hands right in a row, giving each other high fives as they watched Kate take yet another drink of her cup with the whiskey that burned all the way down.

She didn't really feel any different though and kept on playing, even managing to win a few more hands, but Jazz and Bumblebee struck again and took another five hands right in a row. Looking at the bottle of whiskey that was half gone, Kate started to wonder if maybe playing a strategy game with a bunch of highly advanced aliens was _not _the best of ideas after all.

Looking at Kate's face, Jazz gave off a light laugh. He knew that _look_ all too well.

"How's the drinking coming along?" He asked, totally sober.

Bluestreak turned to Kate and noticed her starting to slide down the chair she was sitting in.

"Kate?"

"I think I need…to get up…for a minute…"

Slowly, Kate got to her feet, but as soon as she stood all the way up, her legs gave out and she found herself lying on the floor, staring up at the ceiling, enthralled with the tan coloring of the room all of a sudden.

"I think your girlfriend just decided the outcome of the game, Blue!" Bumblebee laughed.

Getting to his feet, Bluestreak knelt down beside Kate, trying to prop her up somewhat.

"Blue? I don't think I can move."

Standing up to take a look at Kate lying there, Jazz shook his head. He had been in the same logic frame _many_ of times from past drinking binges, the addicting substance working its way through all his systems making everything spin and careen out of control.

"Man, Blue, she ain't lookin' real swift," Jazz mumbled.

Picking her up in his hands, Bluestreak headed on down to his quarters, Maggie having gotten up from the commotion, following closely behind.

* * *

"Blue?"

Kate felt his hand around her, carrying her, but her body…_oh her body…it felt so weird…like her head was floating and her brain had shut down._

Bluestreak looked at her as he walked down to his quarters, hearing Maggie's happy panting behind them. Kate smiled at him, an easy, carefree smile that seemed as if she hadn't a care in the world.

"You know I love ya, don't ya, Blue?" She said smiling still.

Bluestreak laughed a little, nodding.

"Yes, Kate, I do. You know I feel the same."

"You know what else?"

"No, what?"

"I think you're really sexy…yep…sexy…like sexy, sexy…sexy Blue…do you know what that means?"

"Yes. I'm flattered you would use such an endearing human term for me."

"Human, shuman…who cares?"

"Know what else?"

"No, Kate, what else?"

"If you were human…I'd make you so happy. I could do things to you."

"You make me happy now, Kate."

"Yeah, but it would be a _different_ kind of happy."

Finally reaching his quarters, Bluestreak punched his code in and set her down on his recharge bed, Maggie jumping up next to her.

Somewhat puzzled by her peculiar behavior all of a sudden, Bluestreak guessed it had to be whatever was in that bottle that was doing it. There were times when he had woken up face down _outside_ the Autobot base back on Cybertron from having been so plastered from being overcharged. It was never a pretty thing, waking up in your own puddle of energon drool, barely able to move, not being able to remember what happened the night before.

Hopping off his bed, Kate started pulling off her shirt, tossing it on the floor near Bluestreak's feet as he saw the same strange white undergarment the night Maggie had been hurt when Kate had taken off her shirt then. Smiling easily at him, Kate proceeded to take off the delicate garment, throwing it on the floor with her shirt.

Bluestreak stood very still, staring. He couldn't help it. He had looked up human anatomy on the internet and had found out the two protrusions on her front were called _breasts_ to which the internet had said they were used for milk production when nursing their young.

As he stood looking at her, Bluestreak couldn't get over how perfectly _round _they were. They looked so soft and lovely. And all he thought about was reaching out and stroking them to see if his assumptions were right.

Unhooking a closure of some sort on her pants, Kate shook them off, still smiling.

"Kate, w-w-what are…you doing?"

"I'm hot Blue…it's too warm in here."

Bluestreak had often wondered what her body looked like bare. He figured one day he would get the courage to maybe ask but he felt awkward for saying anything because from being on earth before, he knew humans were sensitive about those matters. The whole "keep away" night had unconsciously produced a slight complex about not wanting to do anything that would potentially freak Kate out again.

But as Bluestreak looked her over from head to toe, her skin flawless, her middle area flat, and the teeny tiny white strip of garment she had covering her down below, he felt himself wanting to explore _everything_ the clothes had been hiding all this time.

Crawling up onto his recharge bed, Kate laid on her back, giving Bluestreak a wispy look reading as an expression of human longing and emotional desire.

Touching her necklace, Kate ran her hands slowly down her neck and in between her breasts, her eyes looking directly at Bluestreak's optics.

"_Do you want me, Blue_?" She whispered to him.

Bluestreak didn't know what she meant by that. _It must be a trick question,_ he thought then. _Want her as in want her in my life? Or want her as in wanting her to stay with me in my quarters? Or want her as in wanting to be with her all the time? Ugh! Primus! I don't know! What if I answer wrong? _

Figuring he had a fifty fifty chance of answering right, Bluestreak finally said, "Yes, Kate, I do want you."

Kate let out a slight giggle. "That's nice, Blue. I'm glad. Good night."

And with that, she turned on her side away from him, and headed off to sleep.

* * *

The light hurt her eyes, horribly. Her body felt like it had been hit by a freight train for some reason, as Kate felt the exhaustion throughout. Laying there for a minute, Kate tried to remember where she was or for that matter, how she even _got _to where she was at the present moment in time.

Feeling a pillow beneath her head, Kate sat up, her blanket that she kept in Bluestreak's quarters covering her. And then she remembered.

_The card game. That horrible whiskey. Sliding onto the floor._

Feeling the blanket against her bare skin, Kate looked down at herself…half naked, her clothes scattered on the floor here and there to which Maggie had made a nest out of and was now dozing away lazily.

_Oh God, please tell me I didn't do anything too crazy_! Kate panicked as she wrapped herself into the blanket completely.

Suddenly then, Bluestreak's door slid open and he stepped in, a tiny plate in his one hand, and a small little carton in the other.

"Hi sleepy head!" He said cheerfully to her.

Setting the plate next to her, Kate saw there was a piece of toast on it, half burned, and a carton of orange juice.

"I thought you might like it. I got it from the kitchen the humans use here. I think the setting on that heating apparatus is not right because I don't think that piece of food should look like that!" Bluestreak said as he sat down at the chair to his desk across from her.

Kate smiled at him as she bit into the piece of toast and opened the orange juice. "Thank you so much, Blue. What time is it?"

Bluestreak checked his chrono.

"One in the afternoon."

"I slept that long, huh? God, I _never _sleep in that long!"

Bluestreak laughed then. "You had an eventful night. We didn't win the card game. That kind of ended when you fell onto the floor. So much for being the unbeaten champions, huh?"

Kate thought for a minute.

"Blue…did I do anything…really crazy…last night? My memory is a little hazy."

Bluestreak decided on _not_ telling her everything that had come out of her mouth saying instead cheerfully, "Nope! Naughtta!"

"_Are you sure?"_ Kate pressed.

"Yep."

"Then why are my clothes lying all over your floor?"

"You said were hot. I just let you go. I didn't want you to be uncomfortable."

"And I didn't say or do anything weird?"

"Nope."

"You would tell me, right?"

"Yep."

Looking at the top of his desk, next to the flowers that were still hanging in there, Kate spied something sitting there. _Her bra._

"You gonna give me that back or are you keeping it as a souvenir?" Kate asked, pointing to the piece of lingerie.

Bluestreak giggled then as he held it up, twirling it around and around on his fingers.

"Only if you let me touch what this thing holds," He told her boldly.

Kate rolled her eyes at him then as she took a sip of the ice cold orange juice that tasted so good.

"Men, you're all the same…no matter what species you are. You're always so obsessed with breasts!" Kate smirked.

"Is that a yes or no then?"

"I'll think about it."

"Then I guess this is a new souvenir of mine," Bluestreak said, shrugging. "Until you change your mind," He added, winking at Kate.

Picking up her pillow, Kate threw it at him. She was going to get it back _sooner or later_, no doubt about that.

**Author's End Note:**

_**While the majority of this story has a lot of the live action movie elements being played out, I specifically played the whole Maggie/Ironhide one here because of his reaction to Mojo peeing on him in the movie. I thought the irony of him being so "soft" to Maggie would highlight his gruff but gentle nature.**_

_**Everyone has left such wonderful reviews. I can't thank you enough. It's getting close though, the ending. And for all of you that have followed this story faithfully, or has taken the time to visit right now, you won't want to miss it!**_

_**Thanks so much!**_

_**K.D.B.**_


	21. Snapshots

**Chapter 20**

Kate looked at the object in her hands. It was expensive. But it was the biggest model they made, not too mention it was also the newest one as well.

_I wonder if it would be okay for Blue,_ Kate thought as she saw the Best Buy clerk come back over to her, smiling up a storm. _Either he's way too excited about this potential sale or he's flirting with me. I wonder if I should tell him about my Cybertronian boyfriend_, Kate laughed to herself.

"Nice, isn't it?" He asked her.

"Yeah, I like it," Kate nodded.

"Most people who've bought this model get it because the image screen is big and they can see everything a lot better. The image it captures is very clear and crisp."

_Yeah, but how would it work for a 16 foot tall Autobot?_ Kate thought.

"We have 90 days, same as cash if you're interested. No interest for 90 days."

"No interest, huh?"

"Nope, none."

Kate smiled then and handed it back to the sales clerk.

"I'll take it," She said finally.

* * *

"Don't even think about it, motor mouth!" Thundercracker snarled to the young gunner holding the gift Kate had given him, putting his hand up to try and shield his face.

"Aw, come on TC! Don't you want to see how awesome you look?" Bluestreak replied cheerfully.

"I don't _need_ a picture to tell me how awesome I look. I've already long known that," The Seeker snorted back.

Kate laughed. When she had given Bluestreak the digital camera a few days back, he was beside himself, thanking her profusely, eager to try it out. And try it out he did.

There were pictures of the human guards, some of whom posed as a group, giving the thumbs up, some flipping the bird, others inspecting their weapons, oblivious to the Autobot's camera.

"Hey Blue, you and J.W. ought to sneak up on Hide and get one with him and Maggie," Bumblebee suggested, the new nickname for Kate stemming from her little drinking odyssey a few days back.

There were pictures of Optimus with his arms crossed, smiling, Maggie being petted by Ironhide (to which the weapons specialist threatened the young gunner unmercifully if he _ever_ showed that photo to anyone, Bluestreak would never see another earth day or Cybertronian one for that matter, which ever came first), pictures of Jazz joking around with Bumblebee, Bumblebee posing with his gun looking tough, Ratchet looking annoyed at being interrupted in the middle of a check up session with Jazz (which were far and few these days given how well Jazz had healed), and Thundercracker taking off for the sky, trying to get away from Bluestreak's shutterbug happiness.

And before long, Bluestreak had almost filled the entire memory stick with pictures including his most favorite one of them all, the one where he was crouched down to Kate's level, his hand holding her close in front, her smile wide, the afternoon sun behind as Bumblebee snapped the shot for them.

Heading into his quarters to download all the images to his laptop, so he could see them in full, Bluestreak sat down at his desk, Kate next to him.

Turning around to her, Bluestreak grabbed his camera.

"I just thought about something. I don't have one of you alone! I have to get one just of you. Hey, go stand over near the wall and I'll get one. I have a little bit of space left on the memory stick," Bluestreak told her.

Kate stood up against the wall and posed, blowing a kiss toward the young gunner. Laughing some, Bluestreak snapped the shot and then proceeded to download everything onto his computer.

Looking around at his quarters, Kate saw a couple weapons leaning up against the wall, a few various tools here and there, a detailed colored map of what she assumed was probably Cybertron, various data pads scattered here and there from duty reports filled out after patrols, saved replies to his friends back home, and a moderate (for him at least) sized black trunk that was locked.

All in all, his space was pretty clean and Kate wondered if his clean and tidy habits would extend over if he were human.

"Done!" Bluestreak announced.

Getting up, he walked over to Kate and bent down smiling at her.

"Thank you, Kate for the gift. It's the nicest thing anyone has ever given me. I can't wait to show everyone else when they get here! Sunny'll love it! He and Sideswipe will probably fight over who looks the best. They do that sometimes. Hound will probably love it too because he can take pictures of his favorite earth images."

"You are very welcome, Blue," Kate laughed.

Smiling at her, Kate saw a little bit of mischief in Bluestreak's optics, like he had something brewing up in his head and was thinking about how to execute it to the tee.

Taking his finger, he pushed her gently up against the wall, startling Kate somewhat.

"Okay…that's new," Kate grinned.

Bluestreak held her grin and proceeded to run his finger down her neck and down to where her shirt buttoned. He was so close. He wanted to know. He _had_ to know.

Moving his fingers over, Bluestreak felt the roundness of her body's form, the strange garment underneath. Caressing gently, hearing a slight sigh come from Kate, he slowly moved his fingers to where Kate's shirt buttoned closed. But from his fingers being so big, the fasteners wouldn't open and as he tugged at the garment, he accidentally and unwittingly pulled the blouse half open, the buttons hitting the floor.

"Easy Blue!" Kate exclaimed.

Smiling at her, on a new kind of mission he was liking more and more, Bluestreak slipped his fingers onto her one breast, resting it there at first and then squeezing.

_Primus, it's squishy! Like squishy, squishy! Perfectly round and squishy! _He told himself as he squeezed again, temporarily entertained.

Trying to smack his fingers away, Kate exclaimed, "Hey, those aren't hand toys!"

Bluestreak giggled back. Figuring he had gotten this far, noticing how Kate's expression was one of contained amusement, pleasure, and curiosity, Bluestreak pulled the rest of the blouse open, her mid section exposed and smooth.

"Blue, hey, come on…" Kate started.

Finger tips tracing a line down to her belly button, Bluestreak wondered if maybe that was some kind of outlet for her too. Totally focused on everything he had seen the night when she was overcharged, he proceeded to tug at the top of her pants, finding out the closure clasp on it was being a little more stubborn than her top garment.

"Hey…" Kate said.

Getting a little frustrated at the clasp not budging, his logic circuits set on what he wanted to do, Bluestreak tugged again, making the clasp break free easily.

"HEY!"

Bluestreak blinked his optics at Kate then, surprised by the shouting, aggravated tone in her voice.

"Huh?"

"What the _hell_ has gotten into you, Blue?"

Ducking away from him, Kate stood in the middle of Bluestreak's quarters, trying to figure out someway to keep her blouse together.

"I thought…that's what you would want…for me to…to…do…what humans do when they do what they do," Bluestreak said weakly.

"You thought I wanted you to rip my clothes off?" Kate asked in disbelief.

"Well…I guess…I saw it…when I was looking up info about human mating rituals and I came across a few sites that showed it. I thought it was really weird and complicated looking as your access outlets are situated in a really strange place, but I thought maybe if I could see how it was done, maybe I could…you know…try something for you…" Bluestreak replied shyly.

Kate's eyebrow shot up. "_What _sites were you looking at, Blue?"

Quickly, Bluestreak got to his desk and pulled up a file marked "Favorites". And when Kate saw the title of the site he had been surfing, "_Rough and Tumble Ecstasy", _she had to stifle a mix of exasperation and a laugh.

Seeing the pics of the naked women and men who were engaged in various sex acts, Kate looked at Bluestreak sympathetically.

"That's a _porn_ site, Blue!"

"Porn? What's that? Is it a human teaching site for mating practices? There's thousands of them on the internet. There must be a lot of humans learning. It's pretty basic for us Cybertronians, in, out, done," Bluestreak said.

"Not too far off from some humans," Kate mumbled underneath her breath.

"What, Kate? Did you say something?"

Kate made a shrugging motion with her hand. "Nothing, it was nothing. Blue…" she sighed. "That is not human mating."

"But it _looks_ real and it _sounds_ real. They have little sample videos that you can watch and I…"

"Blue, that _is not_ an accurate portrayal of how humans mate, trust me. All of that is for show, hyped up, over exaggerated, do you know what I mean?"

Bluestreak looked perplexed. "I guess…I thought mating was mating…"

"Human sexual intercourse is complex," Kate said.

"I'll say!" Bluestreak exclaimed.

Suddenly, the young gunner got very quiet.

"Are…you…mad at me?"

Kate sighed. "No, Blue I am not mad at you. I don't mind you touching me, you know that. I don't mind you're curious. That's understandable! But if you're curious, just _ask_ me, okay? I'm a pretty open minded type of person. I'm not going to laugh at you or think it's weird. You don't have to feel uncomfortable about it. My feelings for you aren't going to change if you simply want to know. Tearing my clothes off on the hand, might get a little costly for me!"

"Okay. I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Kate for being so understanding. This is…new…for me."

"It's alright. It's new for me to. We'll just take it slow."

Heading to his door abruptly, Kate said, "Take me home."

"What?" Bluestreak cried then, trying to block her way. "No! I'm not! I thought you said you weren't mad?"

"I'm not, Blue! Just take me home. I've got to get something, not too mention, I've got to put on some new clothes!" Kate said, smiling.

Understanding, Bluestreak started to calm down. "Oh, okay."

"Now, let's just hope we don't pass anyone on the way out now that my clothes are falling off me!" Kate laughed.

* * *

The entire base was pretty much closed down for the evening. Except for the humans who were on their patrols, pretty much a pin drop could be heard as most of the Autobots had all settled in for the night for their daily recharge cycle. Everyone _except _the young gunner and the human who was lying on his chest, curled up snugly, his hand resting on her back gently.

Lying with half his body on the tiny couch in the rec room, the lights off, Bluestreak and Kate were quiet, finishing up watching a movie Kate had brought from her house called "_The English Patient"_.

She had said she wanted to show him a more accurate view of what human mating consisted of. As Bluestreak watched the epic film intently, with its sweeping cinematography and ill fated lover storyline, he couldn't help but think how it resembled somewhat what Kate and he were going through, how they were meant for each other, but yet everything else around them was stacked against their being together normally.

And when the movie ended, Bluestreak remained quiet, obviously affected by the spark wrenching ending he didn't think was fair. But as he was slowly coming to find out, human ways of living were not always fair to begin with.

Getting up, Bluestreak set Kate down on the couch, watching her as she sprawled out comfortably on her back. Kneeling down beside her, Bluestreak leaned gently over her.

Stroking his cheek, Kate sat up and gave him a long kiss on his lips that were smiling afterwards.

"Kate…what do you think…it would be like…for us? If we could…mate. Have you ever thought about it?"

Kate laid back and sighed. _Oh yes, she had thought about it._ Played it out to the very last detail of what it would be like. Like a fantasy she never wanted to end, a dream she never wanted to wake from.

There was only word for it.

"_Heaven, Blue. It would be heaven_," Kate said looking up at the ceiling, her voice soft.

And then turning back to face him, remembering something, Kate asked suddenly, changing the subject, "Hey, I thought we made a deal. You got to touch and I get my bra back, remember?"

Bluestreak thought about it for a minute. He did say that.

Finally, he replied casually, "Nah, I changed my mind. I think I'll keep it."

Hitting Bluestreak playfully on his arm, Kate felt his fingers run down her side, making her laugh from being so ticklish, her happy laughs being the only thing heard through out the quiet and darkened corridors of the sleeping Autobot base.

**Author's End Notes:**

"_**The English Patient" is a 1996 Academy Award winning film by director Anthony Minghella. It is a multi-layered story focusing on a critically injured patient telling his story to the nurse who is caring for him. Similar to how this story opened up with the Prologue telling everything backward, the movie opens the same way. It is a beautiful and breathtaking film. I highly recommend seeing it. **_

_**Thanks to everyone for reading!**_

_**K.D.B.**_


	22. The Ref

**Chapter 21**

Thundercracker would've done it, without so much as another blink from his optics, _happily_. It had to be some sort of twisted injustice for a mech to be _that _overjoyed at anything, let alone over taking another of his kind offline. Oh what sweet harmony it would've been to watch in gleeful delight at his former air commander writhe and convulse violently, all arrogance and conceit under Thundercracker's absolute control. The thought of it all brought a huge elated smile to him every time.

But as the grey Seeker knocked on the door to Optimus Prime's quarters, waiting for the Autobot commander to answer him in, all Thundercracker could feel was a slight wavering nervousness for what had transpired not even a day before.

Thundercracker could openly admit the freedom he finally felt. The Autobots let him come and go as he pleased. He wasn't bound to them in anyway and they all knew it. They radioed him when necessary. Whenever absolutely needed or whenever he got bored and felt like annoying the pit out of them, (which half the time, was _more _enjoyable than actually working with them) was good enough for Thundercracker to make an appearance.

It was an alright, tolerable arrangement, for now at least. As Optimus had told him before, _change was never a definite fixture_. They needed him and Thundercracker in turn, thrived on the freedom they gave. And that very fact, as much as he _did not _particularly enjoy the thought, was enough to keep him coming around the Autobots more than he cared to admit.

But not even the renewed sense of self esteem could overshadow and squash the innate hatred felt toward a certain brown camouflaged F-22 Raptor named Starscream.

Having accompanied (rather hesitantly) Optimus, Jazz, and Ironhide out on a scouting mission where Starscream and Blackout were picked up as heading straight toward the human city that sat near by, Thundercracker, unlike last time when his former comrades had ambushed him, was _ready_ for payback this time around. This time, he was going to have the last laugh, making sure the self appointed Decepticon leader was _kneeling in front of him this time_.

Easily, with the combined firepower of the Autobots, Blackout was immediately incapacitated as he fell from the air, landing violently on his backside, trying like mad to scramble to his feet, but with no success.

Starscream was another story though. Thundercracker had served with Starscream for too long. He _knew _exactly how his twisted spark worked. Hit with full force from the air, concentrating heavily on hitting Prime and any other Autobot officer, touching down only when absolutely necessary.

Having always been a superb aerial combatant, if not the best, Thundercracker knew the Autobots would be no match for him on the ground, especially now with his new reconfiguration making him thirty times faster, agile, precise, _and lethal_.

_Same as ever. Still a slaggin' coward_, Thundercracker smirked to himself as he saw him dodge the Autobot's fire beautifully, taunting them by diving in close and then pulling up sharply, twisting in somersaults as he turned around to return fire.

Armed with a secret weapon Thundercracker knew Starscream would never see coming, he transformed and took off, catching the Decepticon leader in mid dive. Quickly, Thundercracker reverted back to robot mode in the air, taking his fists and pounding them onto Starscream's wing, breaking a huge chunk off on impact and then taking his other fist and driving it straight into the Raptor's canopy.

"How's that feel, Screamer?" Thundercracker hissed at him.

"Traitor, you are no match for me!"

Seeing the Autobot's take aim together, Thundercracker watched as they opened fire, making the Decepticon leader fall to the ground. Getting to his feet quickly, more enraged at the grey Seeker who was touching down than the three Autobots who were also making their way over to him, Starscream laughed haughtily.

"_You're really wanting to have your spark extracted and crushed before your optics, aren't you traitor? Because that's what's going to happen when I get my hands on you!" _Starscream yelled furiously.

And as Thundercracker saw what the Decepticon was going to produce any second, he drew his own secret weapon. He had waited for this very moment so he could look his enemy directly in the optics. Flipping the 'All Auxiliary Power' switch on, the ion pulse hummed lowly, making Thundercracker's hand vibrate from the surging power running through it.

Standing directly in front of the damaged Raptor, pointing the weapon directly at his chest, Thundercracker let out a defiant laugh as he saw the Autobots stop in their surprised tracks at what the Seeker held in his hand.

"You wanna continue about who's extracting what from who, slag heap?" Thundercracker seethed.

Feeling the most joyous victory since getting into the gladiator pits so long ago, Thundercracker smirked happily at seeing the ultimate surprise in his former comrade's optics he swore was laced with a tiny, minuscule trace of _fear_.

"_Dodge this, Screamer_!" Thundercracker yelled.

And as his finger was about to pull the trigger to finally rid the universe of that wretched piece of wasted metal, Thundercracker heard Optimus Prime's voice behind him.

"Thundercracker, stand down _NOW!_"

"Slag off Prime!"

Taking advantage of the small diversion, Starscream wasted no time, taking off for the air, Blackout following close behind.

And as Thundercracker stood at Optimus' door replaying all of the events, hearing the Autobot leader's footsteps getting closer, he drew a sharp breath in, knowing what was about to take place.

"Sit, Thundercracker," Optimus said, motioning for the Seeker to sit down in front of a desk that had data pads stacked, grid charts spread out, hand held diagnostic sensors sitting here and there, various maps rolled out, and a handmade bound _Covenant of Primus_ sitting on the edge, opened to a page the commander had apparently been reading.

"We Autobots have been very grateful to you, Thundercracker for all of the vital assistance you have provided to us so far. You are a highly capable soldier. Megatron must've been extremely pleased at having your skills within his army," Optimus began.

Thundercracker snorted at the last part, recalling how Megatron was very rarely ever _pleased_ at anything him or his fellow Seekers did and never let a day go by when he didn't remind them of such.

"I know this whole transition must be extremely difficult for you. We will all try to accommodate you as best we can to make it as smooth as possible but you also have to be willing to want to commit as well."

Thundercracker waited. It was coming.

"And one of the first steps in conquering your apprehension is _honesty_. I have no doubt, that for the most part, you have been up front and telling with us, but from what I witnessed on the field yesterday with Starscream, I have strong reason to doubt that you held back a vital piece of tactical information from us. Is that correct?"

Thundercracker shifted in his chair some, feeling mildly intimidated by the huge Autobot leader's presence.

"I wasn't lying when I said I didn't know Starscream was building the spark extractors."

"Then what _did_ you lie about, Thundercracker?"

"You know the night when I downloaded all of Screamer's building plans?" The Seeker asked.

The Autobot commander nodded.

"Well I managed to collect a few spare parts they were using earlier in the day without being caught. I figured on using them for repairing myself until I downloaded the files from Screamer and found out exactly what they were building. And when I pulled it up again to show your crew here, I started thinking if Screamer could build one, then I could to," Thundercracker said.

"I take it you were successful in doing so?"

"Mostly. The calibrations aren't the same since I didn't have the exact parts it requires to fully extract. It took me a long time to finally get it to where it would turn on."

Optimus' optics narrowed some. "And if you were to use it now?"

"It would pull the spark out somewhat, I don't think it would fully extract it, but it would definitely put a bot in long term stasis lock with massive functional damage to all systems."

"Do you have it with you?"

Thundercracker nodded.

"That weapon is too unstable to have, TC. I am going to have to ask you turn it over so that it may be destroyed properly."

"I don't understand it, Prime," Thundercracker spat then. "You want to win this war. You want peace. Fighting with these could do it. How else do you expect to win it, by having Screamer just surrender? Are you that in denial?"

Optimus sighed then, contemplating his reply. For as much as their differences were, Thundercracker silently appreciated the discretion Optimus showed in handling a subordinate, taking them in private to reprimand them, unlike Megatron who routinely would humiliate his subordinates in front of the whole crew if they were present.

"Tell me, TC, do you know what the Decepticon forces did to Bluestreak?" Optimus said, his voice extremely serious.

"Who, that motor mouth gunner of yours? What about him?"

"Decepticon forces leveled his home city. Burned everything to the ground. Left no survivors, except Bluestreak, whom they made watch as they tortured and slayed every innocent Cybertronian that was left, leaving him alive so that he could tell everyone exactly what the Decepticons were capable of."

Thundercracker got extremely quiet. He remembered hearing about that particular victory. Megatron and Shockwave had boasted about the city they tore to shreds and the one lone Autobot they had left alive as a "warning" to what their intentions were to do to every Autobot. Thundercracker had not been present, having been sent elsewhere with Skywarp but remembered feeling a little sick inside from hearing his fellow comrades rejoice about it so merrily.

Thundercracker's optics looked away from Optimus with the painful realization of the hellish nightmare his fellow comrades had brought upon the young gunner.

"If it would not have been Starscream out there yesterday, if it had been Skywarp, would you have been so quick to use that same weapon?" Optimus asked well aware of the Seeker's uncomfortable shift.

Thundercracker said nothing in return. For everything Skywarp had done to him, Thundercracker knew he wouldn't be able to bring himself to use it on him, even though he knew Skywarp would not hesitate twice about it.

"When you become your greatest enemy, then you are only bringing about your own inner destruction," Optimus said.

Thundercracker nodded. He understood and _agreed_. Pulling out the spark extractor, he set it on Optimus' desk and then stood up to leave.

Getting thoughtful, Thundercracker asked, "Tell me if there's not one part to you Prime that wouldn't have loved to see Screamer taken offline permanently?"

Picking up on the slight amused smile emitting from the Autobot leader, Thundercracker headed out, a little lighter as the spark extractor sat on the desk behind.

* * *

Bluestreak headed out happily to the runway following his friends, his human muse striding gallantly at his side. Unfortunately, the last few days had been nothing but easy, having had to engage a couple Decepticons twice. Ever since hearing about Thundercracker's near spark extracting session with Starscream, the rest of the Autobots had been on full alert for any potential surprises.

Getting out to the runway, all five Autobots stood, Optimus busy conversing with Captain Lansing inside about something, giving his crew the okay to take a little breather. Jazz tried coaxing their leader to come out and join them, but Optimus declined saying it would have to wait until another time.

"Prime, you deserve a good time just like anyone else, ya know!" Jazz had said to him.

Optimus chuckled a bit. "Perhaps when I am finished with Captain Lansing, I will come out and see who is winning."

Standing on the runway, Kate watched as Bumblebee transformed and drove down to one side of the runway while Ironhide transformed and drove down to the other, setting up what looked like goals as the two Autobots placed two black barrels widely spread apart from each other at their respective sides.

"Is this a Cybertronian game you guys played back home?" Kate asked.

"Kinda, baby girl," Jazz replied. "Mostly it's a combination of the human game football and soccer. We came across it the last time we were on earth."

"Only in this game the ball can't touch the ground. It has to be thrown to each player. The goals are left unguarded because the object is to tackle the other player and prevent them from getting there in the first place," Ratchet explained.

Coming back over to his comrades, Bumblebee pulled out the "ball" Ratchet had been talking about, spinning it on the tip of his finger like a Harlem Globetrotter. As Kate looked at it, it reminded her of a huge disco ball the way it was shaped.

"Without Optimus, there's only five of us. It won't be even," the yellow scout frowned.

"I'll sit out this play and then we'll rotate, with one player sitting out every play," Jazz suggested.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Looking down to Kate, Bluestreak asked, "How about Kate be the referee and the score keeper?"

"That sounds good," Jazz said. "Kate?"

"Yeah, that sounds like fun!" Kate replied.

Walking out to the runway to begin their game, they were stopped short as they saw Thundercracker heading in, glancing with peculiar curiosity at the five Autobots.

"Hey TC!" Bluestreak greeted him happily.

Remembering the talk Optimus and he had had a few days earlier about the young gunner, Thundercracker managed to crack a combination of a grin and a smirk at him.

"Hey, motor mouth," The Seeker replied quietly.

"You wanna play?" Bluestreak asked him, smiling.

Bluestreak looked over towards Jazz imploringly. "Jazz? We'd have even teams and I'm sure TC can tackle pretty well. I think it would work out really good! What do you think?"

Jazz shrugged. "I think it would be alright."

"Blue, him, and I can be on one team, and you three can be on the other, how's that sound?" Bumblebee piped up, obviously hip to the idea of the grey Seeker playing.

"Wonderful. Put me on a team with a bot' who can't shut the fark up for an astroclick and another who resembles Big Bird in metal form," Thundercracker smirked.

Heading out to the runway, Bumblebee looked at Bluestreak, puzzled.

"Big Bird?"

Bluestreak shrugged. "Maybe it's a type of bird that's really big and yellow."

* * *

The game was going really well, or, as well as any game could go with five Autobots and one perpetually grouchy Decepticon Seeker. With Kate's score keeping, it looked as if both teams were dead even.

Catching the ball Bluestreak threw toward him, Thundercracker started to head toward their respective goal but was broadsided by Ironhide, knocking the Seeker to the ground.

"Not so quick now are ya, Seeker?" Ironhide smirked.

"Quicker than your aft will ever be old timer," Thundercracker replied.

"Old timer? I should…"

"Hide!" Jazz called out seeing the potential situation arising. "Behave. The BOTH of you."

Shooting Thundercracker a heated glance, Ironhide went and lined up for another play with Ratchet and Jazz.

With another play beginning, Bumblebee took off towards the goal seeing it clear, his arms open for the ball Thundercracker managed to steal away from Jazz. And as the Seeker was in mid throw, Bumblebee was tackled by Ratchet, who slid a little on his rear on the runway.

"Ouch, Ratchet! Could ya tackle any harder? That was my aft that just slid across the pavement."

Grinning, Ratchet replied, "Aww...I'll make sure to get out some wax for you later. Until then, you'll just have to deal with it."

Rubbing the affected area, Bumblebee heard Jazz and Ironhide laugh, as the yellow Autobot lined up for another play.

Tackling Ratchet, Bluestreak grabbed the ball and backed up, seeing Thundercracker wide open. Hurling it out, he saw the Seeker leap into the air and catch it. With Ironhide barreling behind him, Thundercracker threw the ball out toward their respective goal as he felt the weapons specialist take him down again. Getting up, Thundercracker saw the ball had landed directly next to the goal barrel, half in the goal line and half out.

"No point," Kate called out. "It's not inside the goal."

"No point?" Thundercracker cried. "Do your optics need replacing? Look at it, the ball is right inside!"

Kate walked over to it and shook her head. "It's directly in front."

"No, it's not!"

"_Yes_ it is!"

Taking the ball and setting it out front a ways, Thundercracker pointed. "That is out in front. You're just making this call because of your motor mouth boyfriend."

Kate gave the Seeker a weird look, shooting a glance over to Bluestreak who just grinned.

"Blue is on the _same_ team as you are, TC. That point goes for all of your team."

Frustrated at not being able to come back with a smart one, Thundercracker knelt down in front of Kate, staring at her eyes, her body neither moving nor flinching.

"_Your call is wrong, flesh creature_," Thundercracker said and then taking his finger, pushed Kate backward a little.

It was so quick, all Thundercracker could do was sit there. With a fully charged ion gun pointed to the back of his head and an extremely angry gunner behind him, Thundercracker knew his little extremity outburst was a bad idea.

"_Touch her again, TC and I will personally weld your optics to your aft and have Ratchet disassemble every one of your hinges slowly to have them sent back to Screamer."_

Ironhide and Jazz burst out into hysterics.

"You've done did it now, TC! Looks like you've pissed the slag out of Blue. I'll make sure I'll ship all your personal effects back to Cybertron after the memorial service for ya!" Jazz laughed.

Motioning back to the middle of the runway, Jazz said, "Come on, let's finish this game!"

Getting to his feet, Thundercracker shot Bluestreak a smirk the gunner thought _actually_ exhibited a bit of an apology within it.

Walking with Bluestreak down to the middle of the runway, Kate spoke up. "That was sweet, Blue. I've never had anyone offer to weld someone's eyes to their butt before for me."

"I'm a bot of all talents!" Bluestreak said proudly.

"Is that before or after you're done surfing the internet porn sites?" Kate joked.

Giggling from her remark, Bluestreak bent down and picked her up in his hand so she didn't have to walk all the way down to the middle of the runway, thinking what another beautiful day it was turning out to be once again.


	23. The Napster Session and Anniversary Date

**Chapter 22**

The music pouring out into the corridor could've easily been mistaken as another one of Jazz's mixes he played in his quarters.

The silver second in command had taken up an obsession with the Napster and Lymewire music sites, routinely downloading from them, often playing the homemade mixes on the main frame computer in the command center if it happened to be a slow day (which went in spurts). And as the rest of the Autobots knew, Jazz wasn't entirely picky on what he listened to, just as long as it bumped good and had a rhythm that could get his fingers tapping along, pretty much liking anything from Chingy to Creedance Clearwater Revival to eighties dance music.

But the music pouring out into the corridor this time was not coming from Jazz's quarters. Inside, lying on his side with his elbow joint propping himself up on his recharge bed, was Bluestreak, watching as Kate picked another song off Napster to play.

Having come over after she got off work, Kate and Bluestreak had been sitting together most of the evening, talking and listening to a few songs here and there, Kate having decided to leave Maggie at home for the evening (which Kate swore the dog had flashed a nasty, hurtful look in her eyes from being told she wasn't going for a car ride this time).

Because of Bluestreak getting caught in a few routine scouting patrols that didn't exactly go smooth and Kate having been busy taking care of things around her house, running much needed errands (like buying laundry soap and trying to get an estimate on replacing a few bad wooden boards on her deck), they hadn't been able to see much of each other for the past few days…a fact that drove both of them to the brink of emotional withdrawal from the longing to see one another again.

Whenever they would incur a small separation due to things out of their control (which usually had to do with Decepticons), Bluestreak would always email Kate a couple times a day to say how much he was thinking about her, that he was fine, and not to worry. When they had first exchanged email addresses, they really didn't email too often except to ask the other the next time they could get together, but now, it was a daily occurrence Kate looked forward to when she sat down at her computer.

Typing a few things on Bluestreak's keyboard, Kate waited patiently as the screen showed a bunch of songs from the search she did.

"Oh! This is cool! I haven't heard this one in forever!" Kate exclaimed as she pushed the "play" button on the screen.

Hearing the lush bass line start to play through the speakers setting on his desk, the mid tempo filling his quarters, Bluestreak sat back, watching as Kate started to dance slowly to the easy harmony of the song.

Smiling at him, Kate's mind flashed a crazy idea suddenly. She had done it a few times for David when they had been dating and he really got off on it, but Kate wasn't sure how Bluestreak would react. Remembering the other day a little bit ago when he tried pulling her clothes off from his burning curiosity, Kate decided to go ahead with her idea. _He wants to see everything, I'll give him a show_, getting into a flirtatious mood suddenly.

Turning up the song, Kate started to move her body with the rhythm.

"…_You're my favorite girl / Excuse me for the moment / I'm in another world."_

Pulling her shirt up somewhat, Kate watched the young gunner's expression, highly intrigued by what she was doing.

"_With venus and cupid, the picture's very clear / Hang the sign upon the door and say / Don't disturb this groove / Just a way to say that / I'm so into you and the feelings so real "_

Shirt dropping to the floor, Kate winked at Bluestreak who still hadn't moved from his spot an inch. He watched as she put her arms above her head and then ran them down her sides, moving her hips to the rhythm of the music.

Putting her back to him, Kate continued swaying as she reached around and unhooked the red silky bra she had on, turning back around to throw it in Bluestreak's direction.

"_Just a way to say that I'm so into you / And the feeling's so real / Don't disturb this groove / Cause I want to tell you that I'm so into you"_

Unhooking her pants, Kate let them fall to the floor as Bluestreak looked on in amazement at the sheer easiness she had done it with, a little red strip of garment covering her.

Climbing onto his recharge bed next to him, Kate knelt next to Bluestreak, whose optics were full of wonder and surprise from seeing her body so nearly totally bear again. He stayed quiet as Kate took his finger and placed it on her left breast, smiling up at him beautifully.

Even if it was just to caress the gentleness of her cheek, Bluestreak was sure he been taken to the light of the matrix. She was so soft and warm…warm enough to keep all of his sensors in a permanent tingle mode. He could've crawled up next to her tiny body forever and never have seen another troubled, distraught day surface in his memory circuits ever again.

Lying down on her back close to him, his fingers still on her chest, Kate stared up at Bluestreak, a sultry look in her eyes. Bluestreak simply read it as being she wasn't going to be annoyed with him again for putting his hands on her chest as he noticed how much more relaxed her body was.

Taking his one finger lightly, Kate started guiding it down her body slowly, putting tiny little goose bumps all over from his shy, gentle touch. It amazed her how such a massive being could fight so formidable in battle with the same hands that touched her so gently.

Stopping at the little red garment she was wearing down below, Bluestreak looked at Kate curiously. Reading his look, Kate lay still for a minute and then reached down wiggling some, taking off the garment and throwing it onto the floor, exposing a little strip of hair Bluestreak noticed matched the color on her head.

Taking his finger again, Kate guided it to the middle of her legs. It was the _perfect_ size. Enough to give her everything she needed. Enough to do what she was aching for, what she had dreamed about time and time again.

Not knowing what to do next, Bluestreak shot Kate a puzzled glance. He figured this had to be something that was part of the human mating ritual. Wanting to make her happy, Bluestreak watched as Kate opened her legs up a bit and started placing his finger in between them as if she was searching for someplace to insert it into.

Startled, Bluestreak pulled his finger back somewhat.

"Kate…I…I…d-d-don't know…what to do…this is where your…access outlet is located right? It's in a really weird spot. I mean, I saw on the internet…porn…sorry…porn sites where there was something inserted into it. I was thinking about it…you know…if there was a way for me…to do that for you too…to you know…make you feel how I felt…that night when all my fluid…when all my fluid ran through my body…I never felt anything like that…I don't…"

Kate had always been use to the happy go lucky chatter from the young gunner. It was one of the main things she loved about him. He always saw the bright side to everything, always upbeat, always cheerful. But as Kate listened to the blue Autobot next to her go on, she saw his incessant rambling this time was filled with tight nervousness.

"Blue, it's alright," Kate reassured him softly.

Taking his finger again, Kate took it to the same spot, guiding it to where she wanted it, her body throbbing and ready. Suddenly, Bluestreak felt a wet warmness, a connection with her body, a complete and utter surrender of herself that was constricting around his fingertip, pulsating and _snug fitting_ like it had been made to be inside her all along.

"I don't know…what to do…I don't want to hurt you…am I hurting you, Kate? It's just that I've never…done anything like this…the last time…the last time…I kept dropping the connector…I tried, I really tried…but I was so nervous…and she yelled at me because I wasn't doing it right," Bluestreak stammered, a worried expression on him.

"Oh, Blue…" Kate said. "Come here."

Lowering his head down some to her, Kate stroked his face, staring into his optics lovingly.

"_I'll be patient with you, Blue."_

Nodding, Bluestreak left his fingertip inside Kate as she gently moved it to where she wanted it, moving her hips as she guided it in and out, little slight moans escaping her lips.

Feeling honored to be doing something so intimate that was making her feel the same way he did the night she had massaged _that spot_, Bluestreak left his fingertip where it was, not wanting to do anything too drastic, as he heard pleasurable gasps from Kate almost simultaneously.

At 28 years old, Kate had had a couple sex partners before, although she wouldn't have considered herself _experienced_ by no means. Before meeting David, a lot of men seemed put off the delicate brunette with the big brown eyes wouldn't sleep with them after four months of dating, like four months was the pinnacle point in a relationship where you _had _to sleep with someone.

But feeling the young gunner's gentleness inside her, his unsure movements bringing her to an ecstasy that was lighting her body on fire and rocking her world like she had never known before, Kate knew no other human man could compare.

Hearing her breathing closer together, Bluestreak watched as Kate took her one hand and dug her fingernails into the wall behind her head, seeing the pleasure he had given her and the release her body had just let out.

"Kate? Are you okay? I didn't do anything wrong did I?" Bluestreak asked worried, leaning over her as he took his fingertip out from inside her very gently.

Smiling some, a dreamy, calm expression on her, in the afterglow of it all, Kate shook her head no.

"No, Blue…you did wonderful."

Seeing the still worried expression on him, Kate sat up and cupped Bluestreak's face with both of her hands, placing a long passionate kiss to the young gunner's lips to show him how he had done just fine. _Just fine indeed_.

* * *

"So what do you think, TC?" Bumblebee asked the grey Seeker curiously.

"I don't know. Ask motor mouth's pet about it. She's a fleshy. She would probably know," Thundercracker snapped back, annoyed.

Turning to Jazz, who stood nearby at the main frame computer in the command center, plugging away on the keyboard in front of him, Bumblebee asked, "What do you think Jazz? Think Wolverine would've been able to take on Superman?"

Jazz let out a slight laugh, as he gave the question a little bit of thought.

"Wolverine, huh? Man, that's a tough one. He's got all that regeneration capability. And the strength of Primus. But Superman is virtually indestructible. I'd say it would've been about even, Bee."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking too," Bumblebee agreed.

"Doesn't seem like much of anything if it would've been equal," Thundercracker snorted in addition.

"That's what would make it a good fight, TC," Bumblebee said. "You wouldn't know who would be victorious."

"And you Autodumb heads wonder why you almost lost the battle on Cybertron. When you go into a fight knowing you have the upper hand, that's what makes a good fight," Thundercracker spat.

"Well, these _Autodumb heads_ took Megatron out," Bumblebee replied pointedly.

Thundercracker rolled his optics at the yellow scout.

"Get over yourself. Anymore of that self convincing nonsense and you might accidentally fry your logic circuits. Megatron only met his demise because he fell into that vat of melted metal fragments after _all _of your troops fired upon him," Thundercracker retorted disdainfully.

Bumblebee shrugged nonchalantly at the Seeker. "Then he shouldn't have lost his footing then, huh?"

Narrowing his optics at the smaller yellow Autobot standing before him, Thundercracker saw Ironhide and Optimus pass by suddenly, his auditory sensors picking up on the their passing conversation.

"All I'm saying is that it might be a good idea to get a look inside it," Ironhide said to the Autobot commander as they came into the command center.

"I'm not really comfortable with it still being active," Optimus replied cautiously.

"I'll keep it locked up in the workshop in back. And when I'm done examining it, I'll destroy it pronto," Ironhide replied.

Knowing the weapons specialist would probably be the best one to keep hold of the infamous homemade spark extractor Thundercracker had surrendered over to them, Optimus nodded his head in approval.

"Perhaps it would benefit to examine it," Optimus replied. "But when you are finished with the study, it is to be destroyed immediately."

Ironhide nodded in complete understanding. "Understood."

Suddenly then, a gregarious seventy pound Lab came barreling in, running first over to sniff Ironhide who got a stiff grin on him and then over to Thundercracker who had an even stiffer smirk planted on him.

"Hey ya, Kate!" Jazz greeted her as Maggie made her way over to him after greeting her two other best friends.

Getting a round of happy greetings from the rest of the Autobots and a grunt from Thundercracker, Kate turned to Jazz.

"Blue around?"

"He's out back," Jazz replied and then getting a soft tone to him added, "It's been a rough one for him today…it's the anniversary date for what happened to him back on Cybertron. I think having you there with him will make it a lot better, though."

Having heard Jazz's comment, Thundercracker looked down to the floor, trying not to think about the torturous memories the young gunner probably still carried with him, memories his fellow comrades had been the ones responsible for making.

Kate smiled at the stylish outgoing Autobot in front of her. "Thanks, Jazz."

"Hey Kate?" Jazz called out to her after seeing her start to head towards the back.

"Yeah?"

"You and Blue have a party the other night? Heard some really groovin' tunes coming out of there."

Laughing some, Kate nodded, "Yeah, you could say that."

Sensing the double meaning in her reply, Jazz grinned back at her, happy Bluestreak had finally found some measure of peace to hush the never ending demons that had lingered so long within him.

* * *

Heading toward the back of the base that headed to the runway, Kate saw Mike coming down the hallway suddenly with another colleague of his.

Saying something to the other soldier he had been walking with, Mike came up to Kate. Whenever he saw her at the base, he had stayed a safe distance away from her, figuring it was probably the best thing. Continuously hearing the endless chatter here and there about the talkative blue gunner and his human girlfriend did nothing to help the matter either.

But as he made his way over to her, Mike saw an underlying relaxing peace written on Kate's face, something he had never seen before when they had gone out together. While they always had a good time, Mike had more than sensed her defense walls were put up permanently and there was no getting through.

"Hi, Kate," He said to her.

She smiled back. "I never did thank you for letting Maggie come on the base."

Mike returned her smile. "It's no problem. Helps keep morale up having her here. We're always at high alert so the stress level is always up. A lot of the soldiers here pull long shifts. I think it calms them a little bit."

"I really appreciate it," Kate said politely.

Looking towards the door heading out to the runway, Kate said, "Well, I should be going. It's good talking to you again."

Watching her start to head out, Mike called out to her, "Are you happy, Kate?"

Stopping in her tracks, Kate stood still and then finally turned around with a smile, replying, "Yeah, Mike. I am."

"I'm glad, Kate," the Captain replied.

Smiling back, Kate turned around and headed out to where Bluestreak was.

* * *

Bluestreak didn't know how long he had been standing there, looking up at the night sky, alone with his memory circuits, but as soon as he heard _her_ voice come up behind him, time seemed to stand still right then and there.

"Jazz…he told me I could find you out here," Kate said.

"Yeah…had a lot on my circuits."

They stood quietly, the night air holding their silence above them. Not so long ago, Kate would've wanted to wallow in her sorrow, just drown in it and let it take its hold so her heart could bleed openly. Because that was the only way she knew how to deal with the hurt. It was funny, how wanting to stay in the past made the future more bearable because as Kate had seen it, it meant not having to face a harsh reality.

"When I was pregnant, I thought there was no greater gift. I figured even though David had left me, I still had some amount of happiness left," Kate said, finally breaking the silence. "But when she died in my arms…"

Kate stopped and then took a deep breath in. "I thought my life was over. I thought there was nothing left for me…everything had been taken…everything I loved….everything I lived for, gone, in the blink of an eye with nothing but memories of what use to be."

Bluestreak looked down to her listening to every word coming from her lips, knowing the pain she felt all too well.

"I didn't think I would ever be happy or _want_ to be happy again. It was better to just stay in mourning because it hurt too much to think about moving on. Moving on means you're healing and I wasn't ready for that. But I realized, slowly, after I met you, that even though all that happened, I wasn't immune to having happiness. That it's okay to move on and that while the memories will always be there of what happened, the happiness replacing it is a lot stronger than any kind of sadness."

Bluestreak sighed then, his optics still on the stars above. For so long, he heard them during his recharge cycles, the _screams_ of their torture, the shrill cries of help he couldn't give them. He had seen it every time, himself being held down, clinging to the last bit of his spark that had been nearly extinguished from him.

"Do you remember what your offspring looked like, Kate? Sometimes, I can't recall what my friends looked like. It's been so long since I've seen them. It's like I know they existed but I just can't recall how they looked," Bluestreak finally said.

Kate nodded. "Yes, I remember what my baby looked like. She had dark hair that looked almost black. And she was so tiny. I thought she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my entire life."

Bluestreak got quiet again. Turning to her, he bent down, so that he could look into her eyes that were always so expressive and filled with such honesty.

Running his fingers down her cheek and down her arm, he took her hand in his as Kate stepped up close to him, putting her hands to his face.

"Where they are, they're missing you as much as you miss them, Blue."

Standing on her tip toes, Kate reached up, putting her tiny arms around him as Bluestreak gently tucked her close, breathing her scent as they embraced, their demons far away.

**Musical Credit/Reference:**

"_**Don't Disturb This Groove" Recorded by The System**_

**Author's End Notes:**

_**Well, given there's one reviewer who suggested a vibrator for Blue and a few others who suggested the hologram, I hope this gives all of you some happy moments! Ya'll are sick, I tell you, sick! Oh wait, I am the one who's writing a story about a cartoon alien who's in love with a human…oops…my bad. What can I say? I'm not right meself.**_

_**It's getting close to the end as this chapter holds a lot of symbolism. I hope all of you will continue with me until the end. It'll be good, I promise.**_

_**Thanks to everyone for their awesome reviews! Please don't forget to leave another one!**_

_**K.D.B.**_


	24. Interstate 78

**Chapter 23**

Kate glanced at the clock on her living room wall. _Plenty of time!_ She'd be able to make it and if not, screw it. In the seven years she had been at her job, she had _never_ been late. Never. Always ten mintues early and always one of the last ones to leave. If they wanted to write her up today for strolling in a few minutes late, then so be it.

Picking up the wooden picture frame she had sat on her coffee table, Kate smiled. She hoped Bluestreak would like it. Ever since the evening they had talked about their past, Kate knew what she wanted to do for him.

After surfing around on the net for a few hours, Kate finally found it, one of her favorite poems, one that suited everything he had gone through perfectly. Having found some decorative professional printing paper at Office Max, Kate ran the poem off on her laser printer at work and then took it to have it custom framed inside a simple wooden frame.

Anticipating her owner's departure, Maggie came up to Kate, nudging herself against her leg, fine yellow dog hairs sticking themselves to her pink cotton dress.

"Hey girl, you know I'm going to work!" Kate laughed, bending down to pet her.

Not caring, Maggie sat diligently, tongue hanging out, tail wagging. Kate laughed at her as she gave the dog one more good petting.

"Okay, I've gotta go now! I'm giving Blue this in a little bit, what do you think? Think he'll like it?" Kate asked, putting the frame in front of Maggie.

Maggie's eyes darted to the frame, as she leaned in to sniff it and then promptly turned her attention back to Kate, deciding to keep her opinion quiet.

"I see how it is, Mags. You wanna play the silent game. That's fine. I'll let you know what he says after I get off work, okay?" Kate said.

Grabbing her purse, the frame tucked underneath her right arm, Kate headed to her front door, looking forward to starting off her day by seeing the young Autobot gunner who held every inch of her heart.

* * *

"Kid, do you get up every morning deciding on a new way to aggravate me?" Ironhide growled at the smaller blue Autobot next to him.

"Blue, do I even want to know why you want us to try and equip that for you? You're not even _programmed_ to handle a hologram. Do you know how much of a reconfiguration job it would be to your systems? It would practically be like a system reboot!" Ratchet exclaimed.

Bluestreak giggled cheerfully at the two senior officers whom he was going to convince no matter what it took.

"Kate would like it. I'm sure of it. I've got several scans of human anatomy that you guys could just copy. It would be easy. I mean, Ratchet, you did all those replications on Jazz, how hard could it be?"

Ratchet narrowed his optics at the bouncy gunner. "_That was on a Cybertronian_. Replicating an organic signature takes time and a lot of patience…_that I don't have_."

"But you're the best Ratchet! You and Hide together…you both could come up with something…I know you could," Bluestreak replied hopeful.

"Flattery will do nothing for your quest, Blue, nothing," Ratchet replied flatly.

"I humored you once by making that obscenely tiny trinket, Blue. My optics are still crossed from it. I am not going to work a glitch into every one of my processors to make a hologram so you can play with Kate…_whatever _kind of playing you have going through that love struck logic circuit of yours upstairs," Ironhide said.

"Please! I won't ask anything ever again from either one of you!" Bluestreak pleaded.

"Until you find something else that'll please Kate, right? And don't say having a fleshy body because I think my auditory sensors will explode," Ratchet replied.

Bluestreak put his hands behind his back, shifting his weight, trying to look innocent.

"Well…you know…I mean…I won't ask for anything ever again for awhile…but _if _you could make me a fleshy body…"

Ratchet threw his hands up in the air, not wanting to hear anymore while Ironhide crossed his arms across his chest, shaking his head in complete exasperation.

"You're just too much, kid, you know that?" Ironhide said finally, pointing his finger at the gunner.

Bluestreak giggled, nodding his head. "Yep, that's me. So, is it a yes or a no?"

"No, Blue…" Ratchet said quickly.

"Ask Hound whenever he gets here. Then you two can be the best of friends with your insane fleshy obsessions," Ironhide replied.

"But I don't know when Hound is going to be here! It may be a long time. The last transmission Prowl sent said that Shockwave and Soundwave weren't budging and that the twins, Mirage, and Wheeljack thought they were both up to something which means they need to stay on Cybertron to make sure the Peace Council gets set up and that…"

"Blue, you ask us again and I'm going to shove you logic circuits first into the recycling compactor out back, got it?" Ironhide growled at him.

Backing up some from the weapons specialist, Bluestreak replied, his tone hurt, "I just thought it would be nice for Kate…but if you guys don't want to do it, then…then…fine…that's fine…you don't have to…I understand…"

Ironhide let out a self disgusted sigh. "Oh for the love of the matrix! We'll think about it, alright? Primus, you don't need to be getting your circuits all in a bunch. It ain't healthy for a bot to be like that!"

Jumping up and down like a youngling, Bluestreak took off down the corridor to the command center, a loud _Woohoo!_ heard from his vocal processors.

Ratchet turned to Ironhide, one optic raised. "_We?_"

Ironhide shrugged. "You're always saying how you love a good project to work on that keeps your logic circuits sharp, right?"

Waving an irritated hand at the black Autobot, Ratchet turned around to head to the med bay to see if there was anything in there he could try and build a fleshy hologram with, not happy the young gunner had gotten his way after all.

* * *

"Kate!"

Surprised to see her this early, as he understood she went to her job at this time, Bluestreak walked toward Kate to greet her as she headed into the command center. He was getting ready to head out on a routine scouting patrol with Bumblebee, but upon not seeing the yellow scout anywhere to be found, decided that his next few moments would be joyously spent with her instead.

Bending down, Bluestreak said to her, "I thought you had your job to go to?"

"I do. I just decided to stop here before I went in. I brought you something."

Giving him the frame she had, Kate saw Bluestreak's optics light up. Silently, he read the words carefully that were printed. And for a brief moment, Kate saw a hint of sadness flash on his face which quickly turned into happiness as he finished reading the poem inscribed.

"Kate, that's so beautiful. I mean, that's amazing. I don't know what to say."

"I was thinking about everything we talked about the other day…and that's always been one of my favorite poems…I thought you might like it."

"I'll hang it in my quarters so I can look at it everyday. Thank you, Kate."

Leaning in close to her, Bluestreak closed his optics and pursed his lip components out to her. It was so cute the way he did it she couldn't deny the gesture.

Stepping up to him, Kate leaned in, taking her hand and stroking his cheek as her lips met his in a passionate, slow kiss.

Opening his optics at her, Bluestreak sighed wistfully. He was beyond happy. He wanted to tell her about the conversation he just had with Ratchet and Ironhide about making the hologram, but decided against it, wanting it to be a surprise instead.

Looking at her watch, Kate said to him, "I've gotta go, Blue! I'll see you tonight, okay? I hope everything goes okay on your scouting patrol."

Bluestreak nodded. "That makes two of us!"

Taking his fingers, he let them glide through her long hair. The silky texture was amazing because there wasn't anything like that back on Cybertron. Waving bye to him then, Kate turned around to head out.

"Kate?"

She turned around to face him.

"Yeah, Blue?"

"I just want you to know…I…I…love…you…" he said shyly.

Kate smiled a huge wide grin at him.

"Love ya too, Blue! I've gotta go. See ya!"

Standing with the frame she had given him, Bluestreak watched as Kate headed out, already counting down the nanoclicks to when she would be walking back in.

* * *

"_I-78 is clear. No tie ups this morning. Traffic is moving at a good pace. Should be a good morning commute for drivers today."_

Kate listened with half an ear to the radio playing in her black Honda Civic. All she kept thinking about was Bluestreak. She was utterly and totally in love with the young gunner. Without a doubt. It washed over her everyday and reached her soul in places she didn't think were possible. And the craziest aspect of it all, was that Kate couldn't remember for the life of her of another _man_ who had ever made her feel the way the Autobot from Cybertron made her feel.

Switching lanes, getting behind a semi that was hauling a bunch of long metal tubing that was strapped onto the truck's bed, Kate drove along, seeing the time on her dashboard getting close to the time she should've been punching in.

Smiling to herself, Kate let out a light laugh. She didn't care. When she had been married, it was always, go to work, come home, get up, do it all over again. Half the time David was working on a case and the other, was spent on herself always trying to get caught up with her work as well. Perhaps it had been some of her fault. Marriage was like a career after all. People always needed to keep working at it to make it successful.

But as Kate thought about it more, none of it really mattered. It really didn't. Not anymore. That was in the past, a past so long ago that was slowly evaporating to give way to the new one with Bluestreak. And it was beyond any words Kate could use to describe it. He had the best of her and she was glad. She was willing to surrender everything over to him and not look back.

Pulled out of her reverie all of a sudden, Kate heard a loud _crash_ in front of her.

_Steel piping…tumbling down…she was seeing it…no reaction time…swerving…try and miss it…cars all around trying to swerve…Kate…unable to avoid it…the semi in her rear view mirror…losing control…screeching his tires…not quick enough…heading straight toward the back of her car…_

* * *

Thundercracker circled around a bit. He was contemplating. Should he or should he not?

Laughing a devilish, laugh to himself, Thundercracker decided that yes, he would _indeed_ do it. Given how the last few months had been going, amusement sounded like a pretty fun thing to have.

Wanting to shake the fleshies up this morning, Thundercracker dove down to an extremely low altitude, seeing the main highway below littered with cars driving on their daily morning commute.

"_All you fleshies down there better get ready to shudder cuz I'm gettin' ready to bring on the thunder_!"

And as Thundercracker was going for maximum burn to bring about the huge sonic boom that would shake, rattle, and roll the earth from hitting the sound barrier, the Seeker stopped as he saw what was happening below.

_Screeching careening tires that deafened his auditory sensors…a death deal that already long had its victory…cars spinning violently out of control…smashing metal being crushed inward like a trash compactor. Sounds of unrepentant annihilation. Total devastation…quick…unmerciful…unable to be stopped or controlled… _

It happened so fast Thundercracker didn't even register what was going on until _after _all the cars came to rest. Setting off a chain reaction, the highway was suddenly painted black with horrid, random swerve marks intertwined with one another from the cars and trucks that had tried franticly to avoid the falling tubing off the back of the semi.

Shards of glass lay everywhere, busted into tiny pieces. Fragments of doors, hoods, and fenders flew violently throughout the air, scattering their obliterated remnants across the highway for at least half a mile, the metal tubing from the semi lying in the middle of it all.

Looking at it all from the air, if he hadn't of just witnessed it with his own optics wide and clear, the grey Seeker would've sworn Starscream had detonated an acid filled cluster bomb so it could wipe out every single thing in its path viciously and methodically, leaving no survivors.

And as Thundercracker circled once again, not believing what he had just witnessed, his optics caught sight of something that made his internal processors skip a beat.

Pushed up against the concrete median that separated the direction traffic flowed was a black scrap heap, twisted every which way into a horrible pile of smashed, obliterated metal that didn't resemble a working machine of any sort, let alone a car, the rear wheels of it having been ripped off from the force of the impact which sat twisted upward on top of the demolished frame. Where the engine would've sat was now replaced by an accordion like pile of smoking black metal, the windshield having exploded on contact from the body being brutally forced into the destructed mess sitting there now.

Pulling upward immediately, Thundercracker turned on his thrusters, emitting his sonic boom, not even realizing he had done it.

* * *

Bluestreak was just about ready to head out. Optimus and Ironhide were already at the coordinates waiting, having radioed Jazz earlier to tell him to send the blue gunner and Bumblebee to meet them.

And as Bluestreak was just about getting ready to walk out of the command center with the yellow scout, pumped and ready to go on their mission, he caught sight of the grey Seeker walking in, a grim expression set on his face.

"Hey, TC…you alright man?" Jazz asked coming up to him.

Thundercracker glanced quickly over to Bluestreak and then over to Bumblebee and Ratchet who stood nearby.

"Aww…did Starscream not play nice with you today? You want some luv?" Bumblebee chuckled.

Bluestreak and Ratchet both laughed at the yellow scout's remark. But the grey Decepticon said nothing in return, no smart remark, no snide comments, nothing. He simply walked over to the main frame computer, pulled out a data chip from his arm and placed it inside one of the custom made USB ports in front.

"Computer…upload images 3, 4, and 5."

Curious to see what had the normally biting Seeker so subtly reserved, the three Autobots all got deathly quiet as they saw the catastrophe from the highway being played out right before their optics.

"Holy pit of Primus…" Ratchet gasped disbelievingly.

"Screamer did this?" Jazz asked, unable to hide the massive alarm in his voice, his optics wide with total shock.

Thundercracker shook his head no. "It looked like the tubing came loose off the truck bed…from there it was just a chain reaction."

Looking over toward the blue gunner, who stood speechless from seeing the human devastation before him being played out so real and clear, certain there were no survivors, Thundercracker magnified the black pile of metal sitting up against the concrete median.

"Blue…" Thundercracker said slowly. "That's Kate's car."

Bluestreak didn't believe him. _It can't be…Kate was on her way to work…she was fine…I just saw her not even thirty nanoclicks ago…she was…_

But as Bluestreak looked closer at the image in front of him, he saw the Seeker _wasn't _lying. It was _indeed _Kate's car.

"Blue!" Jazz called out to him, seeing the gunner take off frantically down the corridor to the exit doors, hearing the disturbing echo of his screeching tires all the way back into the command center from his frenzied transformation.

Turning to Ratchet and Bumblebee, Jazz said quickly, "Ratchet, stay here just in case Optimus calls in. Bee, head to the given coordinates to assist. I'm going after Blue."

Getting to the exit doors, the silver Autobot swiftly transformed, seeing Thundercracker take to the air.

Revving his engine, the Pontiac Solstice took off, trying desperately to catch up to the Dodge blue Viper that was already long gone.


	25. Every man dies not every man really live

**Chapter 24**

The last time the Autobots had been on earth, twenty some years ago, a good majority of humans knew but an _even_ greater majority didn't and an even _greater_ majority still, didn't care or didn't believe it. After all, transforming aliens on earth? Preposterous, that's what it was. A bunch of government rumors.

Optimus and the others aboard the Ark had tried, for the most part, to keep their known existences on earth down to a bare minimum, preferring to focus on the job at hand rather than getting heavily involved with any trivial human catastrophes. It was better that way. Safer for them and for the humans as well. Tolerate them yes, but get heavily involved with their day to day living? No. They just couldn't afford the possible dire consequences involving any of the human's complex problems _plus _fight a never ending deadly battle with the Decepticon forces as well.

But as the speeding frantic Dodge Viper tore down the wreckage filled I-78, the time for remaining neutral within the human's world had come to an abrupt end.

Transforming onto his feet from the near 100 m.p.h. he had been traveling, Bluestreak was greeted by a mixture of frenzied, frightened screams (that were intensified by the effects of the highly unstable and emotional situation on the highway), hushed looks of awe and amazement, and gasps of utter shock.

Traffic on the affected side wasn't the only one that had come to an unexpected halt; the other side had too from people slowing down and stopping, getting out of their cars to take an unbelievable glance at the blue 16 foot tall robot walking quietly down the metal scattered four lane highway.

Some of the humans had their camera phones out, trying to snap a picture to confirm what they were seeing, while others were making excited phone calls to whomever, their fast chatter blending into the air, but most just stood still, frozen, not knowing what to make of the whole scene before them.

Bluestreak ignored them all. He cared _nothing_ about any of them, only the being that was inside the crushed black metal heap off the side of the road up ahead.

Making his way down the debris filled highway that would've normally been hustling and bustling with thousands of cars by now, Bluestreak thought he had walked onto a Cybertronian battlefield…cars were scattered here and there, their obliterated fragments strewn all over the road as if someone had taken their fists and ripped each one to pieces individually.

Flashing pictures of his home city..._the destruction...burned ruins...and horror of it all_, Bluestreak's memory and logic circuits quickly made the conclusion that what he was walking through were one in the same as what he had witnessed that one horrendous Cybertronian day so long ago.

Not even the sound of the Pontiac Solstice coming up behind him or the dull roar of the F-16 fighter jet above could deter Bluestreak as he finally got over to _it_.

Starting to shake uncontrollably inside, Bluestreak saw a couple of uniformed humans who were trying to use a cutting tool of some sort to break through the doors to no avail.

"Sir, the body is too badly crushed in this spot! It's not working!" Bluestreak heard one of them shout out.

"Drive it in between where the frame meets! It should break free!"

Seeing the alien being come up beside them, the startled rescue workers stopped everything they were doing, not knowing what was going to happen next.

Sensing the concern coming from the alien about whoever was trapped inside, one of the humans looked up at him, their eyes desperately pleading for any kind of help.

"She's trapped…we need to extricate her," The human finally said softly.

Understanding, Bluestreak grabbed a chunk of metal off the side and pulled, tossing it aside like a rag doll, the metal falling onto the pavement with a loud screeching _clink!_.

Still wearing her seatbelt, Bluestreak's optics widened with utter horror and panic as he saw Kate, _his Kate, _her eyes closed, her body listless.

_NO!!! Please Primus…no…no…not her…not Kate…_

From the steering column and dashboard being shoved so far inward, Bluestreak saw Kate, violently pinned in between, her body soaked in bright red liquid, tiny pieces of glass everywhere around her…the necklace he had given her around her neck, glistening with the red liquid on it.

Trembling uncontrollably, Bluestreak reached his finger out and touched her chest where her lifeline was. _Nothing_.

Feeling a familiar hand come on his shoulder then, Jazz tried pulling the young gunner back, but Bluestreak yanked himself free, shoving the silver Autobot backward.

Kneeling down, Bluestreak turned back to Kate, his fingers touching her face, her blood all over them.

"Please…we need to…"

In his crazy grief stricken mode that was making his CPU start to almost convulse inside of him, making him want to spew hydraulic fluid all over the ground, Bluestreak grabbed his gun and pointed it squarely at the human who had started to talk to him, wanting them to stay away from her, seeing all of them as the cause for what happened.

"Oh Primus, Blue!" Jazz said, jumping to his side, grabbing him. "_They're here to help…let them help her_…"

Sub spacing his gun, Bluestreak's optics caught his best friend's which Jazz saw were filled with more burning anguish than he had ever seen on the battlefield back home on his fellow comrades.

Kneeling down again, Bluestreak reached his hand out, gently pulling the magnetic clasp free on Kate's necklace. Taking the trinket in his hands, Bluestreak looked at the humans next to him. Turning back to Kate, Bluestreak pulled the car apart, freeing her body from being trapped, and then yanked the seatbelt free.

Shooting a quick glance in Jazz's direction, Bluestreak turned on his feet, transforming, and then sped off down the highway.

* * *

Boxes stacked here and there, the house in a state of moving limbo, so to speak, David sat at Kate's computer, tears falling down his cheeks. Next to his feet lay Maggie. Since the accident three weeks ago, all the dog seemed to do was lie around and sleep, not even wanting to grab her fat stuffed hedgehog toy in her mouth, barely touching any of her food, in silent mourning only she could understand for the owner whom she so loved.

In front of David, on the screen…pictures of Kate…their wedding…New Year's…family get togethers. Moving into their home. Kate holding Maggie as a pup. Vacations together. Their whole marriage and the happier times they had shared together.

Putting his hands to his face, David sat back in the chair, breaking down into soft sobs, for everything…everything he had put her through…the baby they had lost...the perfect marriage he had ultimately ruined, and the perfect woman he had driven away. And as he sat there, David knew the exact pain he had done to Kate, feeling as if his world had been ripped away and now was left to pay for his crimes.

Trying to get himself together, David closed out of the picture folder. He couldn't look at them anymore. It hurt too badly.

And as he was about to shut down the computer and head downstairs to start packing some more, David's eyes caught the name of the folder Kate had in her "my documents" listing titled "_Blue Crush"_.

Clicking on the icon button, David saw it was a type of diary she had been keeping. Scrolling to the first entry which was dated a little bit before their divorce, David started to read.

* * *

Mike had been a little more than surprised to see the well dressed gentleman again. But as he ushered him into his office, Mike knew there must've been a good reason for him to show up on the base. He was still in shock over everything himself. He still couldn't believe any of it. He had lost soldiers before. It was never easy. It wasn't meant to be…but Kate…it had affected him more than he could ever express.

And given how Mike knew he and the gentleman sitting in his office both cared for the same woman in their own way, one giving everything but unable to break through her walls, and another taking everything, creating the walls, Mike knew who the visit was going to be about.

"I want to thank you, Captain, for taking the time to see me. I know you're very busy," David said to him, his attorney voice seeping in unconsciously as he sat down, a small box with him.

"As soon as I got your call, I knew it must've been extremely urgent. I would've set aside the time regardless."

David looked at the plaques hanging on the wall behind the blond haired Captain. Graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. Numerous awards and honors. Recognition and service awards. Trophies sitting on the back shelf.

"What did you play?" David asked, nodding to the trophies.

Mike turned around and looked at what he was looking at.

"Baseball at the Academy. All four years. Almost had a chance to play professional, but ended up getting accepted into the Academy…figured there was more of a future there than playing ball."

David nodded. "I played a little when I was at Georgetown."

"Georgetown, huh?" Mike said. "That's one of the best law schools in the country."

David laughed somewhat, a stiff laugh. "Not good enough. I couldn't find a job in D.C. to save my life. Ended up being offered one out here instead."

Mike nodded and then said, "So what brings you here today?"

David got very quiet. "I was cleaning out the house…a few days back."

He stopped then, remembering everything he had read in the diary on the computer.

"Kate….she kept a diary…I found it by accident on her computer. She talked about an alien being she met named Bluestreak."

Mike sat, listening. Every since the accident weeks ago, he had been bombarded with calls from every news source across America and abroad wanting to talk about the alien creatures that were here on earth. The secret was pretty much out of the bag now.

"Is he here by any chance?" David asked the Captain.

"Any message you would like to give to him, I will pass it on," was the Captain's polite but firm reply.

"Did you know she was in love with him?"

Mike sighed.

"Yes, yes I did."

"I would really like to meet him Captain. I have something for him…something Kate talked about in the diary."

"I can't authorize that. I'm sorry. The Pentagon is about ready to go ballistic from all the media hype surrounding them. It is my duty to protect them at all costs. I hope you understand."

Dismayed, David reached down into the box and pulled out a silver metal urn.

"She said in the diary that if she ever died, she wanted him to spread her ashes out over Washtenaw Canyon. I was going to…but I can't…" David said softly, tears starting to form in his eyes. "I hurt her so much…so, so much. She hated me…for what I had done…but she loved him…and I know it's what Kate would've wanted."

Getting up and walking over to him to take the urn, Mike nodded, sighing.

"I will give it to him and you are right, David…that is what she would've wanted."

Standing up, David pulled out a small CD from his pocket, handing it to the Captain.

"Will you also make sure he gets that too? The entire diary is on it."

"Yes. You have my word."

Heading to the door, over come with emotion, David turned around to face the Captain once more.

"Thank you, Mike."

"You're welcome," Mike replied, watching the defense attorney walk out the door, his eyes flooded as he tried holding his own back as well.


	26. Grief

**Chapter 25**

"I'm not really interested," Thundercracker said to Optimus.

They were both standing outside in front of the base, watching the clouds start to move in from the potential storm front on its way. Long gone were the warm sunny days as now it was getting a lot cooler with a lot of rain, something Thundercracker _did not_ particularly enjoy.

"I understand. The human tactical unit you have befriended are good companions," Optimus replied.

"They're _not_ my friends, Prime. They're…flying acquaintances."

"Do you enjoy their company?"

Thundercracker snorted then.

"When we're in the air, it's different."

"How so?"

"Because all we do is fly."

"Eloquently put, TC."

Looking over at the sleek grey Seeker, Optimus actually saw a hint of a grin on him.

"Tell me Thundercracker, are you in danger of becoming something other than what you claimed you were before?"

Thundercracker heaved a huge intake of oxygen through him. The feeling was so refreshing, so clean. The air back on Cybertron was permeated with carbon alloy concentrates and was totally different than earth.

"I don't know," The Seeker replied softly. "I don't know what I am anymore."

"Delicate matters such as these are not to be rushed. You have to let the answers come to you. Searching for them will only confuse and keep the truth farther from your grasp."

As always, Thundercracker saw much truth within the Autobot leader's words as he was slowing coming to enjoy their conversations more and more, finding that whenever he walked away from any of them, he had learned something.

Wanting to change the subject, Thundercracker spoke up. "So, Prime…the quarters are big?"

Optimus smiled and nodded. "Indeed, they are very comfortable. The humans have accommodated us well. We are grateful to them."

"When we were on the Nemesis, all of our quarters were cramped and cold. No matter what Soundwave did to try and make it otherwise, it was always damp and cold. There were times when I went into recharge shivering my aft off. And back on Cybertron, I always had to share with Skywarp. I mean, he was my best friend and all, but a Con has to have some privacy time!"

Letting out an understanding laugh, Optimus nodded. He had wondered on a few occasions how the Decepticon warship was being how it was submerged underwater.

"You are more than welcome to go in and take a look, TC."

"Well, it's not like I'm gonna be up and bunking with any of you Auto aft brains. I have my pride you know," Thundercracker smirked back.

"Indeed. The extra quarters are located past the med bay, if you're interested. You can just punch in the general code we use for the main frame. It will let you in," Optimus informed the Seeker.

* * *

Not believing he was actually doing it, running the dreary thought of actually going to his ex Decepticon pals so they could joyously take him offline, Thundercracker made his way down the Autobot corridors, searching for the living quarters Optimus had told him about.

Thundercracker was just curious, that was all. He didn't want to live among them. He had his freedom. His independence. Why would by the hand of Primus would he possibly want to be tied down again to another faction?

Continuing his self argument within, Thundercracker heard a strange zapping noise coming from the med bay suddenly. Seeing how it was dark inside and was currently uninhabited, Thundercracker thought he was just hearing things and started to walk along, but the sound kept coming.

Curious, the Seeker flipped on the light switch and looked around thinking that maybe the medic had left something on or something was overheating. Whatever it was, hearing all the crackling static, Thundercracker knew it wasn't good.

Scanning the room, Thundercracker's optics got huge. In the far corner of the other side of the room, sat Bluestreak, his knees pulled up tightly around him, the wall feeling his tremors from the shaking he was doing, his door wings pulled entirely down, and his optics full of painful tumultuous anguish Thundercracker knew good and well stemmed from the accident Kate had been in four months ago.

Getting closer to the young gunner, Thundercracker saw where the crackling zapping noises were coming from.

In the Autobot's hands was the spark extractor Thundercracker had given to Optimus awhile ago. Gripping the weapon tightly, the blue gunner kept flicking the switch on and off, his optics dazed.

"Kid, come on…" Thundercracker said to him.

Bluestreak ignored him.

"That thing won't even work! You're just wasting your time. I put it together with two old ion coils and a broken down serial ring. It ain't gonna work."

"_Get away from me, TC,_" Bluestreak seethed, not even bothering to look up at the Seeker.

Flicking the switch to full power, Thundercracker heard the angry energy pulsating perfectly through the weapon.

"Give it here…"

And as Thundercracker bent down to swat the weapon from the gunner's hands, Bluestreak pointed it in the Seeker's direction, all of his superb marksmanship making him hold it with a steady, capable hand.

"_Get away from me now or I swear to Primus I will make you_!"

Thundercracker didn't need this slaggin' drama. He really didn't. But as much as he wanted to leave and let the anguished Autobot continue on his self inflicting agenda, Thundercracker couldn't. Something deep inside his processors just wouldn't let him do it. He had walked that path for so long, choosing to ignore everything around him, convincing himself he didn't give half a slag, that as he stood before Bluestreak now, all Thundercracker could think about was some measure of peaceful redemption for himself.

"Blue, you don't want to do this," Thundercracker said lowly.

"_What do you care, TC_? You care nothing about anybody. Only yourself. It's always been that way and it will always be that way. You're not fooling anyone. You can't even stand any of the humans. You loathe them, think they're beneath you. So spare me with your new found sympathy and your snotty concern and get your Decepticon aft the hell away from me," Bluestreak laid into him unflinchingly.

"Hey, I was there _too_, remember, motor mouth? I saw everything that happened to your human girlfriend from the sky, _all of it_!" Thundercracker burst out.

He had tried forgetting about it. What else was there to do? Like Bluestreak had just sad, Thundercracker _loathed_ the humans. They were beneath him. Small pitiful creatures they were who would never be able to equal any Cybertronian's level of intelligence. Insects, the whole lot of them and nothing more.

But that day he had seen everything on the highway made the Seeker feel more than pity for them. Watching the destruction below, being unable to stop it, seeing the end results, Thundercracker actually felt for that small moment in time, _they were equals, _seeing how their devastation was not so far from what he had experienced in the past.

Bending down in front of the young gunner, seeing his finger twitch on the trigger, Thundercracker put his head down.

"That night…when Barricade took Kate…they had her in one of the cages they kept Ravage in. It was nothing but a metal box pretty much. But she never once screamed, whined, cried, nothing. Her optics never leaked once. Most humans I've seen…they'll start freaking out on you…but not her…she just stood and watched everything…as if she was accepting her fate and was not going to give any of them the satisfaction of seeing her break down. Her spark was strong without a doubt," Thundercracker said.

Looking at the Autobot sitting in front of him, Thundercracker put his hand out, the tone in his voice quiet. "Give it here, Blue. If she was that strong that night, you can be on this one."

Thinking about what the Seeker had just told him, Bluestreak handed the weapon reluctantly to Thundercracker, burying his head in his hands. Putting a slight hand out, Thundercracker rested his one finger lightly on the gunner's shoulder, feeling his body trembling, as the two once sworn enemies sat in absolute silence together.

* * *

The silver second in command sighed to himself. He was out on the runway, the night sky above, thinking. It was amazing how much time had past since the whole war had ever started. He had been young then, young and brash, doing things without a care in the world simply because they seemed like the slaggin' thing to do at the time. He knew a lot of his fellow comrades considered him to be one of the more capable, easy going, cool headed bots that ever came online. But as Jazz looked up at the sky, he felt anything but capable.

"Much contemplating, old friend?" A voice said from behind.

Turning around, Jazz saw Optimus walking toward him, concern deep on his majestic face.

"Oh, hey there, Prime…didn't hear ya comin' out."

"The stars are clear this evening. Seems the storms are going to be letting up," The Autobot leader replied.

"Yeah…yeah…they're clear," Jazz replied, his logic circuits far away from any talk about stars. "Did TC tell you about Blue? About what happened in the med bay last night?"

Optimus nodded. "Yes, he did. I have gone ahead and taken the liberty of destroying the weapon already."

Jazz got quiet then, a disturbed quiet that had lingered with him for months now.

"I don't know if Blue is going to be able to kick this one. I really don't."

"The nature of sorrow can never be fully understood. I suspect Bluestreak will heal in time."

"Yeah, but what if he doesn't? You know how we found him. You know what he's already been through," Jazz retorted. And then getting a distressed look on him, added quietly, "You didn't see him that day, when he pulled her car open…the anguish that was on him…I don't think there's a way to _ever_ get over that."

"The spark knows many hurtful emotions, that is for sure. We all felt that when we thought you had been taken offline. I contemplated much during that time as well. Perhaps Bluestreak just needs time as time seemed to help him before," Optimus replied.

"I can't help but to feel somewhat responsible," Jazz said then, his words coming out painfully. "I kept telling Ratchet how great it was he had found Kate cuz of how much peace she seemed to give him. But now, he's worse off then what he was before."

"Would it have been fair to Bluestreak to _not _have let him experience the strong connection he felt with Kate? We have been engaged too long with this war. I fear it will continue to go on for some time to come. We have all accepted that fate honorably. But if Bluestreak had managed to find a small measure of peace through these trying times, then all was not wasted."

"He would've done anything for her, Prime…anything. I think he feels guilty for not being able to save her," Jazz said.

"Would you like for me to converse with him? I have tried to give him the space that is needed to mourn peacefully. Perhaps it is coming to a point where one of us should intervene?" Optimus asked.

Jazz nodded his head.

"I'll do it. I'll go and talk to him."

And as the two battle seasoned Autobots stood on the runway, reminded of how life was so precious and delicate, the greatest leader of the Autobot army and his second in command next to him were none of those in that instance, just two Cybertronians who knew what love and loss were about all too well.


	27. The Departed

**"Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." -- Alfred, Lord Tennyson, In Memoriam, 1850**

**"The way to love anything is to realize that it might be lost." -- G. K. Chesterton **

**Chapter 26**

Smiling, happy. _Together_. His hands touching her.

Sitting at his desk, Bluestreak looked at the picture he had saved to his computer. The day Bumblebee had taken it for them. She looked incredibly tinier than usual with his massive body behind her. They were an odd mismatched couple to say the very least. Putting his hand to the screen, Bluestreak closed his optics and thought about how her face felt, so smooth and warm, so delicate and fragile, so lovely and beautiful.

_Like petals blowing in the wind…a cool breeze blowing on a hot summer day._

He saw it every night in his recharge dreams, lying with her in the grass, leaning over her, staring into her brown eyes that whispered sweet nothings to him every time, meeting her at the lake, longing for when she got off work so he could see her again, and waking up next to her on Saturday mornings, caressing her softly as she lay sleeping peacefully.

Four earth months. He couldn't believe that much time had already past. He never could've imagined going four mega cycles without seeing her before. But now, his spark was tortured by her memory, a drifting apparition forever out of his grasp, just like the Orpheus story she had told him about so long ago.

He had known grief before, never wanting to experience anything close to that again. And he had thought the hole he had been pushed in was filled and sealed shut, never to be opened again.

Hearing a soft knock at his door, Bluestreak sat quiet. Ever since the accident, everyone just let him be, letting him sit for megacycles on end in his quarters. Coming out to complete any assigned missions given to him, Bluestreak put the fear of Primus into several Cons in the past few months from him taking everything out on them with full force, once nearly blowing Blackout's head off then leaping onto him, tearing any amount of metal off the huge helicopter as he possibly could, not caring about any damages to himself.

"Blue? It's Jazz. Ya mind if I come in, bro?"

Bluestreak didn't answer back, he just kept staring at the picture in front of him.

Hearing the general access code being punched in, Bluestreak heard the silver Autobot come in as the door slid closed behind him.

"Hey, Blue boy…I just wanted to come in here to make sure you're still online."

The young gunner said nothing.

"We're all worried about ya, man. We're all here for ya…all of us, Optimus…Bee…Hide…Ratchet…even TC."

Silence.

"Alright, Blue…I'll let ya be…I'm here for ya though, okay?"

Hearing his friend start to leave, Bluestreak blurted out, "You know she wrote about me? Everyday? She kept a diary and she wrote everything she was feeling…about me…"

Jazz walked over to the gunner's recharge bed and sat down, wanting to listen to him.

"Here, I'll read some of it to you."

Pulling out the CD the Captain had given to him right after the accident, Bluestreak brought up the entry that was dated a few days before everything happened.

"_I think I've finally found it, or really, it's found me. A wicked kind of happiness that makes me have a permanent smile. I wonder if any other human on this planet has ever experienced the same. Because that's what Blue has done for me. I think I am totally and completely in love with him. If that's wrong, I could care less. Some people live lies their whole life to appease others. I will not be one of them. If I am meant to be with Blue, then that's how it will be. He has all of my heart and soul and that's okay. I give it to him freely as I know his spark is a part of me as well. Perhaps one day I will tell him all this but for now, it will stay here, on these pages."_

Jazz sat quietly, nearly feeling his optics start to flood from hearing her beautiful words about his best friend.

"She thought all that…about me, Jazz. _Me…_" Bluestreak said softly, barely above a whisper.

"She was a very special person, Blue. And what you two had was unique and real. I doubt many have the same."

Looking away, Bluestreak said mournfully, "I was going to have Hide and Ratchet make me a hologram for her…so I could touch her…the way humans touch…so I could…make her happy."

Standing up, Jazz stood in front of the tormented gunner. "Blue…you made her happy without all of that."

In all the time he had been with Bluestreak, of all the comforting and helping he had to do with him, Jazz had only seen his optics flood once and that was when they had found him. After that, any emotion he felt was kept under wraps, buried, only brought out through his incessant nervous chatter.

But as he stood in front of his long time friend now, Jazz saw mounds of fluid leaking from his optics, fluid the gunner had tried so hard to keep from flowing, from keeping the hurt surfacing anymore.

Pulling him close, Jazz felt the young gunner put his arms around him acceptingly, a shrill agonizing scream coming from his vocal processor as his body starting shaking and quivering all over from the pent up outlet that needed so badly to be done.

"Just let it out, Blue. It's alright. I swear, it's gonna be alright," Jazz said soothingly.

All the months of anguish, hurt, and pain flooded out of Bluestreak then as his optics let everything out, everything he had tried so hard to run from. But there was no running now, only sad goodbyes.

* * *

"I don't know if I can do it, Jazz," Bluestreak said.

They had been sitting in his quarters for a little bit, Bluestreak having calmed down a bit. And as they sat talking, Bluestreak actually started to feel somewhat better.

"That's what she wanted, right? The Captain gave you it so that you could do it for her."

"I don't know. He told me what to do and it sounds simple enough. I just…"

"Remember we have our matrix to go to. Humans have theirs too. Doing that will help put her spark at peace and set it with the human matrix."

"You really think so?"

"I _know_ so. Wouldn't you want to be joined with the matrix at the end of your life cycle?"

Bluestreak nodded.

"Doing that for Kate would be the ultimate gift you could ever give to her."

Bluestreak was so grateful for Jazz. They were true brothers in arms. He always said things so clear and understanding. And he always was willing to help anyone out when he could. Not to mention how he had always been there for Bluestreak in his darkest hours to which the young Autobot loved him immensely for that.

"You think about it, Blue, okay?" Jazz said to him.

Motioning to the gunner with his arms, Jazz stepped up next to him and gave Bluestreak another big hug. Unlike a lot of other bots that were extremely uncomfortable with such displays of affection, Jazz doled it out without another thought or care.

"I'm gonna let you ponder it. I'll be in the rec room if you need to talk again, okay?"

Bluestreak nodded. "Thanks Jazz. For everything."

Jazz let out one of his easy going laughs.

"That's what family does. They look out for each other and comfort each other," the silver Autobot replied simply.

Bluestreak gave him a grateful smile, watching as he made his way out.

Eyeing the black locked trunk on the other side of his desk, Bluestreak hurried over and unlocked it. It was his memento box of memories from his friends in his home city, things he had collected here and there, gifts that were given to him, anything of sentimental value. He rarely opened it, but now was the time.

Having put away everything Kate had given him, not wanting to look at it from the pain it caused, Bluestreak pulled out the metal urn he had carefully set in inside the trunk along with the picture frame she had given him and the necklace he had made for her, the digital camera sitting near by.

Setting the urn down in front of him on his desk, Bluestreak set the necklace in front of it, caressing the polished smoothness of it. Jazz's words from a few minutes ago ran through his logic circuits. And as Bluestreak thought about the ritual the Captain had told him about that Kate wanted, Bluestreak read through the poem Kate had given him the day she died.

_Speak they tell me and I do._

_Dream they say and I have._

_For I have not seen only life_

_But death as well._

_It has spoken to me and I reply._

_It has showed itself and I see._

_For there lies not only peace of moments past,_

_But images and loves I have known before._

_Death can only separate physically_

_But the soul lives on forever._

_I will miss your glow,_

_Of everything that you were,_

_Of everything I wish I could know,_

_As I take your face with me to the light._

_For I have seen the beauty that it is,_

_And the serenity I seek._

_Do not weep for my departure,_

_For there is nothing to weep for._

_Just remember me,_

_As I'll remember you,_

_And let me head out,_

_To the homecoming that is waiting so near._

A homecoming. A homecoming indeed.

Getting up from his desk, Bluestreak grabbed the urn, knowing where he was heading to and what he had to do.

Speeding out into the daylight, Bluestreak made his way perfectly, Washtenaw Canyons waiting for him.

**THE END**

**Author's End Notes:**

_**So here it is, the ending at last. I can't thank everyone enough for all the wonderful reviews everyone has left! I never thought I would get that many people reading this with all the other fics competing as well.**_

_**Life is full of twists and turns, surprises and joys. We choose our own destiny, make our own futures, and love with everything we have. That's what makes us human. **_

_**I hope this story told an in-depth tale of what it's like to love, hurt, and heal. For none of us are ever immune to those very emotions. Just forever intuned to them.**_

_**The poem included in this chapter was written by me. I wanted to originally use Anne Sexton's "The Truth the Dead Know" but couldn't get permission from anyone to print it here. It is breathtaking to read. I apologize for the lack of talent in the poem put up. Poetry is NOT my strong suit by far. **_

_**If interested, please check out my Thundercracker spin off titled "Ronin".**_

_**Please don't forget to leave a review. **_

_**Cheers!**_

_**K.D.B.**_


	28. Epilogue: Condolences

_**"I'm not afraid to cry every once / In awhile / Even though goin' on with you gone still upsets me / There are days every now and again / I pretend I'm okay / But that's not what gets me / What hurts the most / Was being so close / And havin' so much to say / And watchin' you walk away / And never knowin' what could have been" - **_**What Hurts The Most, recorded by Rascal Flatts**

_**Much thanks to JessyJazz (2cnd letter inside text) and FieryKitsune (3rd letter inside text) for their thoughtful letters. You guys are awesome! Thanks a bunch! K.D.B.**_

**Epilogue: Condolences**

Jazz held the tiny white hand written envelope, sighing some. Ever since the accident, they had been steadily coming in. Looking at the human post he held, the silver second in command couldn't help but to feel a little surprised by how many of the humans felt a certain "connection" with Bluestreak for what they had learned what happened five months ago on the stretch of highway known as I-78.

Remembering how he met Bluestreak, whom they found nearly dead and forever traumatized, Jazz knew that sometimes, the worst of situations had a tendency to bring beings together in the strangest ways.

Walking into the command center suddenly, Ironhide sauntered up to Jazz, Bumblebee next to him. Seeing the tiny piece of human mail the silver Autobot held, Ironhide let out a soft sigh.

"Another one for Blue?" The black weapons specialist asked knowingly.

"Yeah…it came a little bit ago," Jazz replied.

"That's gotta be like the hundredth letter he's gotten within the past couple of solar cycles," Bumblebee noted. "You think he's replied to any of them?"

Jazz shrugged. "Can't say, Bee. I don't wanna ask cuz I see how much it affects him whenever he gets another one."

"Not too mention how many times the human news replayed the whole thing on the t.v. afterward…I thought they were going to keep showing it forever! Wasn't it bad enough it happened once? Why the slaggin' pit did they need to keep reminding everyone about it?" Ironhide added, shaking his head.

"It's just their way, Hide…they can't help it," Jazz sighed. "They're social creatures by nature…keeping informed of what affects their daily life is only a given. That's how they learn and evolve."

"If watching something like that a thousand times is _learning and evolving_, I'd hate to see where they're going to be at in the next couple hundred stellar cycles," Ironhide replied.

Thinking back on the whole traumatic event, Jazz's memory circuits showed him bits and pieces…Blue…_the staggering grief stricken anguish written all over him_…_her car…smashed up against the concrete median…Primus, that was enough of a tragic sight by itself_…

Jazz sighed again, continuing. "The news crews were only doing their jobs…not too mention with Blue, TC, and myself being out there in the open like that…it probably only added to the chaos of the situation. We aren't exactly the smallest beings in the world, Hide."

Ironhide let out a disdainful snort. "Job or not…it still doesn't give them the right to replay such a traumatic event _over and over_…once is enough."

Pointing to the letter Jazz held, Bumblebee piped up brightly, "That's real nice of the humans to do that, send condolences, don't ya think, Jazz?"

"Yeah…it is, Bee," Jazz nodded in agreement.

Turning to Ironhide, the yellow scout added, "Maybe that's a good sign of their evolving, to be able to sympathize, huh?"

"Sure kid, alright…they're able to feel empathy after being subjected to repeated images of horror…a lot of evolving there," The weapons specialist scoffed back.

"Well it's a lot more than what most Cons feel, Hide, considering how we've all been around for millenniums…you'd think in that time frame they'd be able to learn _something_," Jazz commented.

Looking over the handwriting on the letter again, seeing it was from a _Dorothy Arbinger_, Jazz said to the two Autobots with him, "Let me go give this to Blue…she took the time to write and send it…it's only right we give it to him."

Seeing Ironhide and Bumblebee nod in silent agreement, the silver second in command headed off to find the young gunner who held so much sorrow over the human he had been in love with.

* * *

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

Bluestreak sat still at his desk, his fingers tips making the light noise from his quiet nervousness. A letter from Dorothy Arbinger sat in front of him, unopened. It still amazed him the humans would even want to write to him in the first place. After all, as Bluestreak saw it, there was nothing special about him self. But that day five months ago had changed that…_drastically._

That day…it was so patchy and fog filled…_hearing_…_seeing…_

_Kate…_

_His Kate…in the car…her body covered in red, trapped and lifeless…_

Bluestreak had been so immersed about Kate he never fully comprehended the magnitude of the sheer trauma it must have been for all of the humans involved until _after _the accident. And judging from the amount of human post he had received since, Bluestreak had reached the definite conclusion he had not been the only one affected by its brutal aftermath.

It had been about a full earth month since he had done the releasing life line ritual of spreading her ashes over Washentaw Canyons, but it wasn't enough, not entirely. He was still surrounded…surrounded with ever lasting waking thoughts and broken memories of her face, her beautiful perfect face that always looked at him as if she thought he was the most important being to have ever come online.

And although Bluestreak _did _feel a small amount of comfort come over him when he saw her ashes being taken with the wind, everything else still remained. Everyday, Bluestreak found himself waking with the same torturous anguish resonating inside, knowing his finger tips would never feel her warmth on them again and that he would never again be able to gaze into that wondrous, calming plane of existence which always drifted openly within her dark brown eyes.

The only comfort of hope Bluestreak managed to find, was the belief that somehow, even though their matrix's were vastly different, he would see her again, walking toward him, her face lit up at their joyous reunion, a magnificent reward for giving his all toward the cause he found himself fighting for on a daily basis.

Shooting a glance toward the black locked trunk sitting nearby, Bluestreak sighed and then went over to open it. Pulling a stack of human letters from it the young gunner had neatly put away, Bluestreak sat back down at his desk. When he had first started receiving the human correspondences, he stored them out of view, not even bothering to read them. He couldn't. It was too painful.

Taking the letter addressed from Dorothy, the blue Autobot hesitated, his fingers slightly shaking, afraid that whatever words were written would somehow transport him back to the highway to relive it all again.

_They've lost too…I should just read them…it can't hurt…they took the time to write them out…_Bluestreak thought then.

He was ready.

Opening the tiny letter, Bluestreak unfolded the piece of paper and started reading.

* * *

It took about nearly three nanocycles, but Bluestreak finally did manage to get through most of the stack. Most said the same polite condolences. "_I saw what happened on the news and how you tried rescuing the one woman from her car. I just wanted to write tell you how sorry I am for your loss." _

Some though were well…different…

"_OMG!!! OMG!!! I soooo want to meet you!!!! Where are you from? You're an alien right? You're frickin huge! I told my friends all about seeing you on the news! How tall are you? Can you come to my house? Can you take me to your planet? I never thought earth would get real aliens! Holy shit!" _

Bluestreak didn't know _what_ to make of those. It almost sounded as if the humans who wrote them had some sort of CPU glitch that made them overly hyperactive.

From being on earth before, the gunner knew how most human reactions were, ranging from sheer terror to shock to squealing with delight. He didn't understand why so many humans wanted the Autobots to take them to Cybertron. Didn't they like their own planet?

While Bluestreak understood the shock expressed by most (as he was equally shocked the first time he had ever seen a human) fleshlings and the curious excitement stemming from meeting a being so different from themselves, the overt unpredictability of their emotional states always made Bluestreak a little on the uncomfortable side due to his own inner demons he knew he harbored.

_Except Kate_…Primus, her name was enough to send the blue Autobot reeling into a mad euphoria all over again.

Setting the more peculiar letters aside, seeing he could show them to Jazz and Bumblebee later for their opinions to try and make sense out of them, Bluestreak looked at the three letters that had really stood out to him.

When he had read them initially, all three were so powerful in tone and thought that the young gunner had to sit there for a minute afterward, trying to get his body to stop its trembling from the sorrow he felt rippling through him from their heartfelt, comforting words…words he knew needed and _deserved _a reply.

The first letter he had read was short but the other two were quite long and Bluestreak wondered nervously if he would be able to reciprocate an equally beautiful moving response to something that had obviously taken considerable time and effort to write.

Taking the first letter, Bluestreak read through it one more time:

_**Dear Bluestreak,**_

_**My name is Dorothy Arbinger. I know you don't know me and to be honest, I feel a little strange writing this letter at all. The reason I do is because of the tragedy that befell the both of us four months ago on Interstate 78.**_

_**You see, my 5 year old granddaughter, Haley, was killed in that accident as well. The minivan she had been riding in with her mother and brother was struck several times before being pushed across the highway altogether. Her mother and brother survived, but Haley was killed instantly. There's not a day that goes by that I don't hope and pray she is playing happily with the good lord above. **_

_**One day she is here, telling me how much she loves me and the next, she is gone. From seeing the news, I saw you have experienced the same. I know there's nothing that can be done or said to take away the pain, but please know there is someone who knows what you are going through and that you are not alone.**_

_**Yours truly,**_

_**Dorothy Arbinger**_

Pulling his laptop over to him, Bluestreak sat for a minute, thinking. Finally, the gunner started to type.

_**Hello Dorothy,**_

_**Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm greatly sorry to hear about your granddaughter…she was 5 years old? That doesn't seem fair to me…her spark (life, I mean) hadn't even begun yet…but then again…I am slowly finding out that a lot isn't fair. I know how much you must miss her. That day was horrible…I think about it all the time…I can't help not too. I see it every night in my recharge dreams (sleep I mean, sorry!). **_

_**And like you, I think about the loss I have suffered as well. I wonder if I will see her again, if there was some reason for it all. Is there ever a reason for it? I don't know. I can't figure it out…I've tried and I just can't. I just know I miss her so much everyday. All my friends here are all so good to me. I don't know what I would do without them. **_

_**But reading the kind words you have put to me helps so much. I really appreciate them. Thank you, Dorothy! **_

_**Bluestreak**_

Taking another letter he had set aside, Bluestreak looked it over carefully. It was quite long and he didn't want to miss anything written in it:

_**Dearest Bluestreak, **_

_**I'm not sure how well you're handling the whole situation but I'll be crazy to think that you're okay and doing fine, even with the help of your beloved friends around you. **_

_**The initial pain, hurt, anger and frustration, let them come to you, Blue. Tackle them at your own pace. Don't rush and try and get rid of them in a hurry because the harder you try, they'll bounce back 10 folds. If you have to cry, just let it out. If you have to shoot something, help yourself. You must find an outlet for all these emotions. Only when you let them go than they will escape. **_

_**The love you both shared happened for a reason; because you were both meant to be, even though it wasn't for long. It may seem unfair, but the most important thing is you had each other, even for the shortest moment. For that, you should rejoice.**_

_**She may not be around physically but you know where she will always be, in your spark. Not even death can take that away from you a 2nd time. Once you have her locked up right there, it's as good as having her with you physically. There will come a day when you'll be able to talk about her without feeling the pain, and smile instead of cry when you think of her or touch her belongings. **_

_**Time will heal all wounds. So go on, Blue… take as much time as you need. **_

_**From someone who cares, **_

_**Jessica**_

(_**JessyJazz)**_

Bluestreak was truly touched as he had been with the letter he just previously responded too. From the way the letter was written, the young gunner could tell the person writing them must've been truly good at heart to say such wonderful comforting things to a being they didn't even know. He felt honored these humans felt the need to extend him their sympathies in such beautiful overtones.

Staring down at his keyboard, the blue Autobot started on his careful reply:

_**Hello Jessica:**_

_**Thank you for your kind words of comfort. I'm sorry to have taken so long to reply but it's just that I've not felt up to it as of late as I really haven't felt up too much, I must admit. I hope you'll understand and not be too upset. Your letter was very consoling and beautiful and I don't want you to think I was ignoring the kind gesture.**_

_**My friends have been really understanding with me. I don't know if you saw the news but my best friend, Jazz, was with me. He was the silver colored Autobot. He's such a good friend because he always listens and gives good advice…I go to him whenever I need to talk. He helps so much. Another friend of mine was there too (although I don't know if he thinks we are or not…he's a bit on the grouchy side) in the air, but I don't know if the news caught that because he never touched down. **_

_**I really didn't know how to handle it all…after it happened…the accident. I really didn't. I just kept thinking and thinking, about her (her name was Kate, I don't know if you knew or not…I think the news reports might've said it) and that day…it all seems unreal when I think about it now…but it did happen. I wish more than anything that it didn't but it did.**_

_**I've had my optics flood from it…horribly (I mean crying…sorry…I know that's what humans call it…I forget sometimes). It just came out one day and you know what Jessica? I felt better, a little at least…not entirely, but a little. It was like a release of everything I had held in. So yes, I agree with you about not rushing things, about letting the outlet come out on its own because as I have found out from experiences past, you can not rush something that isn't meant to be rushed.**_

_**And yes too, Jessica, I do hope I will see her again, in the matrix (God…sorry!). It will be a much anticipated reunion I can only hope I will be lucky enough to have granted to me…to be able to see her again…I can't imagine anything more wonderful.**_

_**Alas! Look at me! I have rambled on forever and a solar cycle (day, I mean!). Please forgive. I have a tendency to do that. It's just that your letter was so nice and pleasant that I really did appreciate all of it. Thank you again dear Jessica!**_

_**Bluestreak**_

Picking up the last of the three letters that had had an affect on him, Bluestreak looked it over:

_**Dear Bluestreak, **_

_**I know you don't know me, but my name is Vanessa and I have recently learned of the tragedy that occurred recently. The tremendous car accident was a horrible tragedy that has left many with questions of how and why. **_

_**But what I found most upsetting was seeing you so distraught on that highway through the nine o'clock news. Despite being extremely shocked by your presence, the expression on your face was heartbreaking as well as it was very obvious that alien or not, you were hurting over the young woman in that car.**_

_**Of course, various stories and rumors erupted and dominated the media for weeks, but the main one being that you two were romantically involved. Whether this is true or not, it does not matter. You obviously cared, and because of that, I wanted to send you my condolences. I am sincerely sorry for your loss.**_

_**Why contact you, you may be asking? Well, because I can't get the look on your face out of my mind. The raw pain in your eyes. I wanted to send you some words of comfort. **_

_**I wanted to let you know, that as someone who has experienced loss a few times myself, to please don't despair. To continue living for her, I'm sure that despite whatever relationship you had, she'd want that. She may be gone physically, but as long as you continue to live and carry her memory with you, she'll never truly be gone. She lives in you through memories of good times and even the bad. And it may not seem like it now, but time will help and heal some of the ache. It won't mean you forgot her, but time helps make you a little stronger. **_

_**If I were in front of you right now, I'd hug you. (Even if I'd only reach what, the beginning of your foot?!?) **_

_**Stay strong Bluestreak, I wish the best for you! **_

_**Sincerely yours,**_

_**Vanessa**_

_**(FieryKitsune)**_

Bluestreak read it over one more time. Whoever this Vanessa was, like Jess and Dorothy, she sounded like she was quite the nice human. Wanting to make sure his reply would be on par with what she had written him, Bluestreak sat for another minute, tapping his finger tips on the desk, thinking intently. Finally, he came up with the words:

_**Hello Vanessa:**_

_**For replying so long after you sent me your beautiful words of condolence, please let me apologize. I wanted to respond, honestly. It's just that I needed some time…I hope you understand. I read your entire letter, every word of it. Thank you for all of your words!**_

_**I don't remember much…from that day…but I do remember there were a lot of other humans there too. There was so much going on…my logic circuits (oops…mind, I mean) couldn't believe it, any of it. I don't remember except that a lot of them seemed surprised by seeing me and my best friend Jazz approaching (I don't if you saw that on the news or not) and I don't blame them. I would've had the same reaction too. **_

_**The woman in the car…her name was Kate and yes Vanessa, you are correct. I loved her very much. I would've done anything for her. She was everything to me….I hope that doesn't too strange. Her spark (heart, I mean) was unlike any other I have known. I think about her everyday…I met her when she was taking her dog swimming in the lake…do you know of that lake? I think it sits on the other side of town. I met her there. My memories of her are wonderful and sometimes I feel as if that's all that is left of her now since she is gone and I can't touch her or talk to her anymore. **_

_**I do hope that like you said, Vanessa, that time will eventually make it better for me…right now it doesn't seem that way….but I know I have to hold on…I had a very rough spot but a friend of mine helped through that…I was really grateful to him for it. I know I won't forget her…that I know for sure…even if everything else around doesn't make sense…that fact will always be true. **_

_**I'm truly flattered by you wanting to hug me. I…I…don't know about that…I don't mean that as in a bad way toward you…please don't take it as such…it's just that I have a tendency to be really clumsy…you know…drop things and such…I wouldn't want to accidentally hurt you or anything like that. But thank you for the sentiment! **_

_**I must get going now. I have said way too much as usual and probably have taken up too much of your time already. For your comforting words, thank you so much, Vanessa!**_

_**Bluestreak **_

Sitting back in his chair, the young gunner saved his replies and then proceeded to print them off so he could send them out with the next batch of outgoing human mail from the base.

Bluestreak hoped what he had written was okay as he had never been one to be eloquent when it came to writing. And as the letters were put away back into the black trunk, he felt an unprepared feeling of peace and calm settle over him, as if everything just written had acted as much needed therapy.

Smiling slightly to himself from the nice words the humans had sent his way, the young gunner headed out to the command center, replies in hand, grateful for the warm comfort that had been extended to him and the tranquility he suddenly felt covering him soothingly.


End file.
